Milwaukee Brewers general manager Matt Arnold told the media during their end-of-season press conference that they need to keep an “open mind” about the possibility of a closer deal with Devin Williams. 2025 will be Williams’ last year in control of the team. After next season, he will be a free agent for the first time in his career and will likely sign a massive contract elsewhere.
Trading Devin Williams in the offseason will give the Brewers back pieces and won’t impact the team’s mid-season momentum or chemistry like the Josh Hader trade did in 2022. Milwaukee dealt Corbin Burnes last winter and ended up receiving two players (DL Hall and Joey Ortiz) and a draft pick (No. 34 – Blake Burke) in return.
If Milwaukee ends up trading Devin Williams, it will create a void in their bullpen as they will need a closer. The Brewers dealt with this last season while Williams was recovering from a back fracture and Trevor Megill was named the starting pitcher to replace him. Looking ahead to 2025, here are four options that could take over as the team’s closer if Williams is traded in the offseason.
Four candidates to take over as the team’s closer if the Milwaukee Brewers trade Devin Williams this offseason
Flame-throwing right-hander Trevor Megill would be my top pick to acquire if we were closer to trading Devin Williams. He showed in the ninth inning that he can handle the pressure of throwing, converting 21 of 24 save opportunities last year.
Early last season, Abner Uribe got his first chance to save the Brewers’ games. Like Megill, he has a dominant fastball that can reach triple digits, but Uribe has room for improvement in terms of controlling his emotions. Uribe’s season ended prematurely due to a knee injury and he still has to serve a suspension in 2025, but if he shows improvement, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him again in a closer role one day.
Craig Yoho is an exhilarating prospect in the Brewers farm system. The 24-year-old burst onto the scene in his first full season as a professional pitcher, starting the year in Single-A and ending the year in Triple-A. Yoho has a unique shift that looks like Airbender 2.0 (Devin Williams’ shift is called Airbender). Once Yoho reaches the massive leagues, it likely won’t take him long to earn a chance to play in high-leverage situations.
My final prediction is a bit wild, as Jacob Misiorowski has spent time as both a starting and relief pitcher. He was sensational as a starter last year, but the Brewers moved him to the bullpen in the second half of the season to deal with the workload. His exact role going forward is still being determined, but if he ends up as a substitute, he’ll easily have what it takes to finish games.
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