The expected decision ensures the Brewers will receive draft compensation
According to Adam McCalvy, Willy Adames has made the widely anticipated decision to decline the Brewers’ qualifying offer. Had Adames accepted, he would have returned to the team on a one-year, $21.05 million deal, but Adames is expected to command one of the larger free agent deals on the market this winter, so accepting the offer would not have made sense for him.
By the rules of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Brewers will receive a draft pick after the first round and before the Competitive Balance Round A in the 2025 draft provided that Adames signs elsewhere for more than $50 million. Most salary projections predict Adames’ next contract will fall significantly beyond $100 million.
The Brewers can still re-sign Adames as a free agent (in which case they would not receive a draft pick), but most commentators believe that he is likely to sign for more money than the Brewers are willing to offer. His name has come up for a variety of big market teams including the Dodgers, Braves, Giants, Mariners, and Mets, some of whom would likely ask him to move to third base.
This was the first time in franchise history the Brewers used the qualifying offer, which was instituted in 2012; they certainly would have used it on Prince Fielder, but he was a free agent after the 2011 season. Other players who the Brewers would have been likely to extend a qualifying offer to, notably Corbin Burnes and Josh Hader, were traded prior to hitting free agency.