After much haggling and back-and-forth, a longtime Dodgers trade target is reportedly available via trade.
According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames is now on the trading block.
The Milwaukee Brewers are letting teams know that shortstop Willy Adames is available now that they have defensive whiz Joey Ortiz from the Orioles. They could also trade Adames at the deadline or simply let him walk as a free agent next winter.
Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said he's open to discussing any trade for those teams willing to talk.
“It's hard to say," Brewers GM Matt Arnold said. “As we've discussed in the past, sometimes these deals come together very quickly and in other cases, they take a long time. I'm certainly open to more conversations. I certainly wouldn't shut any conversations down at this point in the offseason.’’
— Milwaukee Brewers general manager Matt Arnold via USA Today
Adames has been on the Dodgers' radar for quite some time. Now that he's available, should the Dodgers take a swing at him?
The window for opportunity to make a deal may be too little, too late.
The Dodgers have done more offseason work than any major league team. Their roster is complete on paper. Their everyday shortstop, Gavin Lux, will soon be returning after suffering a torn ACL in spring training a year ago. He might not look like the Lux of old to begin with, so it might take him some time to get back into form.
However, that's not enough to justify the Dodgers giving up any assets for Adames. Lux, 26, is young enough to recover from a major knee injury. The Dodgers already have depth behind him.
On top of that, Adames was better viewed as a package deal with superstar ace Corbin Burnes. Burnes is no longer a Brewer; he was traded to Baltimore last week.
The ship has sailed on Adames, and the Dodgers should move on from him. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman should hang up the phone unless the Brewers are willing to trade Adames for next to nothing.
More must-reads: