Willy Adames had strong interest in joining the New York Yankees, a team he admired growing up, especially because of his childhood hero, Derek Jeter, whose iconic number two he chose to wear in his honor. During an offseason meeting with the Yankees—reported by Dan Martin of the New York Post—it seemed that a deal between the two sides was more likely than initially assumed. However, the Yankees’ ongoing efforts to land outfielder Juan Soto complicated things.
Though the idea wasn’t for Adames to move to third base—something he would have accepted—the timing was unfortunate. While Adames hoped to sign before Christmas, the San Francisco Giants stepped in with a seven-year, $182 million offer that he ultimately accepted. This happened before Soto ended up signing with the Mets.
Adames seemed like an ideal fit for the Yankees, who were looking to add right-handed power to their lineup—even into the early part of the 2025 season. The missed opportunity wasn’t due to a lack of mutual interest but rather the Yankees being preoccupied with Soto’s pursuit when the Giants made their move. Despite a slow start with San Francisco—posting a -0.4 fWAR and 52 wRC+ over his first 15 games—Adames’ power and defensive upside at third base were qualities the Yankees highly valued.
Willy Adames
Yankees manager Aaron Boone reportedly attended the meeting and impressed Adames by focusing on more than just his stats. Coming off a season with Milwaukee in which he hit 32 home runs with a 119 wRC+ over 161 games, Adames played a crucial role in the Brewers’ surprising NL Central title win following manager Craig Counsell’s departure to the Cubs. The Yankees had hoped to bring that kind of right-handed pop into their own lineup but ultimately went on to sign pitcher Max Fried instead.
It’s unclear whether the Yankees would have pursued both Adames and Fried had Soto signed earlier, but given the team’s current pitching struggles, landing Fried might have been the more critical move. He’s been a standout in an otherwise shaky rotation, highlighted by a dominant, scoreless seven-inning, 11-strikeout performance in Detroit.
Despite not joining the Yankees, Adames still had a chance to play shortstop at Yankee Stadium—the same position his idol Jeter once held—when the Giants visited New York. San Francisco rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win the final game of the series and take the set. With no more regular-season matchups between the two teams this year, Adames won’t return to the Bronx until 2027—unless the CBA changes the schedule—when the Yankees travel to San Francisco.
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