Rosenthal.
Why Adames is unlikely to be the next Hader
Speaking of the Brewers, the return from their controversial Josh Hader trade at the 2022 deadline keeps looking better and better.
Left-hander Robert Gasser, the pitching prospect they acquired from the Padres, has a 0.82 ERA after two starts. Another player in the deal, outfielder Esteury Ruiz, brought them star catcher William Contreras and reliever Joel Payamps in a three-team deal with Atlanta and Oakland 4 1/2 months later.
The Hader trade jarred the Brewers’ players, who were stunned the team would trade its All-Star closer while it had a three-game lead in the NL Central. Hader to that point in the season had not pitched particularly well, and would be even worse for the Padres before rallying in the playoffs. But the Brewers’ attempt to backfill with Taylor Rogers and Trevor Rosenthal backfired, and the team missed making the playoffs by one game.
Which raises the question: Would the Brewers attempt a similar move with shortstop Willy Adames, who is even closer to free agency than Hader was? Hader at the time was under club control for two pennant races. Adames, on the other hand, is only months away from hitting the open market.
“I’ve already been traded twice in my career. I know it’s part of the game,” said Adames, who went from the Tigers to the Tampa Bay Rays in the David Price deal in 2014 and the Rays to the Brewers for pitchers Drew Rasmussen and J.P. Feyereisen in 2021. “But you feel comfortable in a place. You create good friendships with guys, create that bond. And then you get traded, it’s like, ‘Man.’”
Adames, 28, probably can rest easy. If the Brewers traded him, they could slide Brice Turang to shortstop and use Joey Ortiz and others at second base. But club officials recognize the internal damage they caused with the Hader deal, and the potential to unsettle the clubhouse again by parting with an everyday player and team leader. Turang and Ortiz might be succeeding in part because Adames is providing them with veteran cover.
Christian Yelich: The Brewers’ player-coach
Five years into a nine-year contract, left fielder Christian Yelich has assumed an outsized role with the Brewers, serving not just as their primary leader, but also acting almost as a coach.
Yelich, 32, recently helped Jake Bauers adopt a toe tap, helping the first baseman/outfielder turn around his season. He also eased Turang’s transition to leadoff by speaking extensively to him about hitting in that spot. Last Saturday, Yelich even ran the Brewers’ pre-game bunting drill, one day after dropping down an RBI bunt single himself.
The Brewers seemed a good bet to regress after losing manager Craig Counsell to the Chicago Cubs, trading staff ace Corbin Burnes to the Orioles and starting the season without two injured stalwarts, closer Devin Williams and right-hander Brandon Woodruff. Instead, the team leads the NL Central.
“We hold ourselves to a certain standard. There’s an accountability here,” Yelich said. “If you want to be on a bad team, do what bad teams do, talk like bad teams do, play like bad teams do. You can do that. That’s fine. But if you want to be on a good team and play winning baseball, you have to do it a certain way.”