The Milwaukee Brewers find themselves in familiar territory this offseason, though it is not territory that fans are particularly fond of. As the smallest market in baseball, it is incredibly rare for the Brewers to hold on to their best players as their time under team control comes to end. In recent years, Milwaukee has traded All-Star closer Josh Hader and Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes before they hit free agency.
This year, not only do the Brewers face the almost certainty that shortstop Willy Adames will sign elsewhere, but they also need to make a decision on what to do with closer Devin Williams, who is entering his final year of arbitration.
The Milwaukee Brewers May Have Already Made a Decision on Devin Williams
Earlier this month, Milwaukee decline Williams’ 2025 club option worth $10.5 million. However, because he has another year of arbitration remaining, he remains with the Brewers. At least for now.
It is estimated that Williams could make between $8-9 million in arbitration.
The Brewers, though, may not be willing to pay that much. The two-time All-Star closer missed most of 2024 due to stress fractures in his back, which the team may feel hurt his value in the arbitration process.
That being said, Williams was as good as ever when he returned. The 2020 NL Rookie of the Year posted a 1.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 14 saves when he finally returned to the field.
His continued dominance and relatively reasonable salary (to teams outside of Milwaukee) may make him an attractive traded candidate.
The Milwaukee Brewers Could Sign Kyle Finnegan to Replace Devin Williams
If the Brewers do decide to trade Williams this offseason, they will need to fill the closer role on their own team. Trevor Megill led Milwaukee with 21 saves last season while posting a respectable 2.72 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. However, the Brewers may prefer to keep him as a setup man.
One option for Milwaukee that may not be expensive is free agent reliever Kyle Finnegan, who was recently non-tendered by the Washington Nationals.
Last season, Finnegan made the NL All-Star team, but as Joel Rueter of Bleacher Report points out, “he had a 5.79 ERA and served up a .337 opponents’ batting average in 24 appearances after the All-Star break, and that downturn in effectiveness made his steep price tag difficult to swallow.”
Finnegan ended the 2024 season with a 3.68 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, and 38 saves.
Curt Bishop of Sports Illustrated wrote, “He could be a buy-low candidate for a team like the Brewers as they try to retain their perch atop the NL Central.”
He certainly has a few things that he needs to fix, but the Brewers pitching lab has been known to work wonders.
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