Contenders or otherwise, the Milwaukee Brewers always operate willing to sell off quality veterans if they deem it helps their picture medium and long term. This is the reason for optimism if you’re a team in the market for a high-leverage reliever, and the Yankees are among that group. Devin Williams has been one of the more dominant closers in the game, and there is a good chance he will hit the trading block if he is not there already.
The situation with Williams is rather simple, and that’s due to the context of the Brewers’ usual procedures for dealing with friction when it comes to their star players and arbitration disputes. The most recent case is that of Corbin Burnes, who admitted his arbitration saga two years ago hurt his relationship with the Brewers, and ultimately ended up traded to the Orioles last offseason.
Williams, who missed the majority of last season with a back injury, had a team option on his contract for $10.5 million, and the Brewers opted to turn that down. Having made $7.5 million in the previous campaign, Williams is set for an arbitration battle. A non-tendering option seems far-fetched as the market for his services figures to be pretty high, particularly at a price tag along the lines of that team option. This makes it very plausible the Brewers move him, having already risked straining their relationship with their closer in turning down their option on his 2025 season, and with Williams ticketed for free agency after this season.
If the last memory you have of Williams is that of Pete Alonso destroying Milwaukee’s playoff dreams with a go-ahead, decisive three-run homer in the Wild Card round, you need not worry, as Williams is as excellent as ever. Despite only managing a little over 20 innings after a back injury kept him out until late in the second half, Williams was still able to accrue nearly one and a half bWAR. The Brewers closer allowed only three earned runs in 21.2 innings of work, and his strikeout rate above 40% was as ridiculous as ever.
Looking at how Williams rates in the context of the reliever market, there is no right-hander with his proven track record of elite play available. The closest thing is Jeff Hoffman, who looks like he may try his hand at starting, depending on where he signs. Tanner Scott is the other thoroughly dominant available arm, but even he has dealt with some ups and downs simply not present across Williams’ career.
When it comes to the Yankee bullpen, this is clearly a team capable of building a solid group out of spare parts. However, as we saw in the postseason, there comes a time when it’s nice to have certain relief aces that you can really lean on, and those aren’t easy to find.
Luke Weaver was an absolutely marvelous find, and maybe he has done so well so as to deserve the closer role full-time, but there is no question he’d be more valuable to this team as a fireman. Weaver’s ability to cover multiple frames as a former starter ensures he could make a bigger impact with the flexibility to do that than as a regular closer. That being said, you can’t just put another 2023 Clay Holmes in there to close, and Williams is just the guy you go to in order to avoid anything remotely resembling potential question marks at the closer position.
Even if you’re feeling worried about Williams’ long-term health following his back problems, you have a year to see how he holds up in that department before being required to make a call on his long-term future. Though bullpen upgrades may not be front and center of the Yankees’ plans right now, they’d do well to monitor the situation over in Milwaukee.
