We have used this idea for the last couple of years. The idea is to go through some of the top free agents, use the contract FanGraphs suggests they will get and have a poll asking if we would like to sign him for that amount.
Ben Clemens at FanGraphs and Keith Law at the Athletic have Willy Adames in the second spot on their lists of top 50 free agents.
Adames (with an e) is a shortstop who turned 29 in early September. Last year, with the Brewers, he hit .251/.331/.462 with 32 home runs and a 3.1 bWAR. Over the last four seasons, he’s had years of 3.6, 3.0, 4.3 and 3.6. And he’s had 107 home runs over those four seasons.
Defensively, he’s good, but not great. He might have to be moved off short in his 30s, but his bat would play at third or second. Of course, with the Jays, he might move Bo off short, which might not be a bad idea given Bo’s leg issues. Adames certainly has the power the Jays should be looking for.
Keith Law said:
He’s a big Three True Outcomes hitter, with walks, strikeouts and homers accounting for 41 percent of his career PA, and even with high strikeout rates, he still gets on base and hits for enough power to be an above-average regular as a shortstop. His defensive metrics have vacillated wildly over his career, averaging out just slightly above average, but the numbers jumped when he got to Milwaukee and I wonder if some of that is the result of the Brewers’ positioning, as Adames isn’t particularly fast and doesn’t have a ton of range, especially to his left.
Ben Clemens:
Anyone in the next group of five players could end up with the second-biggest contract of the winter. Out of that quintet, I’d be most keen to sign Adames, and I’ve got bad news for enjoyers of parity: This feels like a situation where the rich will get richer. A ton of marquee shortstops have hit the market in the past few years, which means that many contending teams already have their guy. Some of the teams that sat out the recent bonanza did so because they have their own young star prospect. The Cardinals and Yankees, for example, aren’t going to move on from their incumbents this winter.
Clemens figures Willy will get a five-year contract for $29 million a year for a total of $145 million.