What would a Braves trade for Willy Adames look like?

Last week, our own Alex Lord discussed another potential option for the Braves at shortstop, trading the Brewers for Willy Adames. I don’t think it’s the direction Alex Anthopoulos should go, especially considering Liberty Media just doubled down on the Braves having a top-five payroll in baseball.

If that’s the case, there’s no reason Atlanta shouldn’t hold onto the few quality prospects they have and sign one of the marquee shortstops on the market. However, things change. Perhaps Liberty Media’s President, Greg Maffei, was being overzealous in his comments, or maybe even Alex Anthopoulos decides none of the free agent shortstops are worth the contracts they will sign. In that scenario, trading for a high-quality player like Adames instead of sticking with Orlando Arcia and Vaughn Grissom makes the most sense.

So what might it take to pry Adames from the hands of the Brewers… probably quite a lot. Here’s a potential trade I think would work.

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Braves get: Willy Adames 

Brewers get: Vaughn Grissom, Bryce Elder, and Nolan Kingham

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Now, if you go by Baseball Trade Values, which is a tool I like to use when building hypothetical trades, this trade is tilted pretty heavily in the Brewers favor, but I think it’s rather fair.

If the Brewers move on from Adames, they likely aren’t looking to rebuild but re-tool, so they’ll want some players that are close to major-league ready. That’s exactly what they receive in this deal. Grissom can play all over the infield and has already had some success at the major-league level. However, he won’t really be needed by the Braves if they trade for Adames. Elder could be in an Opening Day rotation to begin next season, but with all the rotation arms at Alex Anthopoulos’ disposal, he’s expendable. His value may also never be higher than it is today. Kingham is nothing more than a throw-in that had some success in the upper levels of the minors last season.

This isn’t a trade I would be eager to make, but that’s because I would much rather the Braves spend money to fill their void at shortstop than trade for one. I love Grissom’s potential, and he seems to have the right attitude that would fit into Atlanta’s clubhouse long-term. Plus, an organization can never have enough pitching. With that being said, this is likely what it would take to land a talent like Adames.

As a Braves fan, would you be willing to part ways with Grissom and Elder for Adames?

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Photo: Photographer: Larry Radloff/Icon Sportswire