Jon Morosi: Braves targeting top shortstop in free agency

For Braves fans hoping the days of Orlando Arcia starting at shortstop are in the past, this latest report from Jon Morosi will be music to the ears. The MLB insider not only linked the Braves to Dodgers starter Walker Buehler, who recorded the last three outs of the World Series, but he also said Alex Anthopoulos has shown interest in star shortstop Willy Adames.

https://twitter.com/LockedOn_Braves/status/1857529256148087105

Walker Buehler and Willy Adames are in two different aisles of free agency. Buehler, after a stellar postseason performance, won’t come cheap, but he’s probably looking at a one-year deal in which he can rebuild his value and re-enter free agency next offseason, when he could potentially sign a much more lucrative contract.

Adames, on the other hand, is set to become one of the highest-paid free agents of this year’s class. He’s coming off a season in which he had a career-high 32 homers and has mashed at least 25 home runs in every season since 2021. From an offensive perspective, Adames is one of the best at his position, and he’s hitting free agency at the perfect time because there are really no other healthy starting shortstops available.

That’s not ideal news for the Braves, who have absolutely despised getting into bidding wars for the top free agents for as long as they’ve been in existence. There will be no shortage of suitors for the services of Willy Adames, so if the Braves are serious about landing him, they will have to get out of their comfort zone, something that has yet to happen under Alex Anthopoulos.

With that being said, that doesn’t mean it can’t happen in the future. Just last year, we saw the Braves make a serious effort to pry Aaron Nola away from the Phillies, offering him a six-year contract north of $150 million before he signed a seven-year contract to return to Philadelphia. So, the money is there; it simply comes to how badly the Braves want it, and with the way Orlando Arcia has performed recently, they could feel the need to do whatever they can to fix their situation at shortstop long-term.

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