Milwaukee Brewers GM Matt Arnold informed the media during his end of the season press conference that they have to remain “open minded” about the possibility of trading closer Devin Williams. 2025 will be Williams final year of team control. 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 this off-season would give the Brewers pieces back in return and it wouldn’t mess with the team dynamic or chemistry mid-season like the Josh Hader trade in 2022 did. Milwaukee dealt Corbin Burnes last winter and ended up getting two players (D.L. Hall and Joey Ortiz) and a draft pick (No. 34 – Blake Burke) in return.
If Milwaukee ends up trading Devin Williams it would create a void in their bullpen as they would need a closer. The Brewers dealt with this last season as Williams was recovering from fractures in his back and Trevor Megill emerged as the primary pitcher to fill in for him. As we look towards 2025 here are four options that could take over the closers role if Williams does get traded this off-season.
Four candidates to takeover the closers role if the Milwaukee Brewers trade Devin Williams this off-season
- RHP Trevor Megill
Flamethrowing right hander Trevor Megill would be my top choice to takeover as closer should Devin Williams be traded. He showed that he was capable of handling the pressure associated with pitching in the ninth inning as he converted on 21 out of 24 save opportunities last year.
- RHP Abner Uribe
At the start of last season Abner Uribe was given the first crack at saving games for the Brewers. Like Megill he possesses a dominant fastball that hits triple digits, but Uribe has a lot of growth left in regard to 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 growth it would not be surprising to someday see him back in the closer role.
- RHP Craig Yoho
Craig Yoho is an exciting prospect in the Brewers farm system. The 24 year old exploded onto the scene during his first full season as a professional pitcher as he started the year in Single-A and ended in Triple-A. Yoho has an exceptional changeup that looks like an airbender 2.0 (Devin Williams changeup is nicknamed the airbender). Once Yoho arrives in the big leagues it likely won’t take him long to earn the opportunity to pitch in high leverage situations.
- RHP Jacob Misiorowski
My last prediction is a bit of a wild card as Jacob Misiorowski has spent time both as a starting pitcher and a reliever. He was sensational as a starter last year, but the Brewers transitioned him to the bullpen towards the latter half of the season in order to manage work load. His exact role going forward is still being determined, but if he ends up working as a reliever he easily has the stuff necessary to finish games.
Follow me on X @tylerkoerth. Follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great up to date sports content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports, click here!. We cover the Milwaukee Brewers, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers, and Wisconsin High School Sports. Additionally we provide the latest news coverage on the NFL, MLB, and NBA in which you can follow Gridiron Heroics, Hardwood Heroics, and Homeplate Heroics.
