In a winter that will pose some difficult decisions for the defending NL Central champions, this is an easy one.

The World Series could end as soon as Tuesday night, though it’s more likely to stretch to the weekend.

Either way, within five days of MLB crowning its champion for 2024, the Brewers have to make some key decisions.

One of those calls will be their call on the team option they hold on closer Devin Williams for 2025, worth $10.5 million. It’s an extremely easy call, so don’t let yourself overthink it.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, Williams projects to make just $7.7 million via the arbitration process this winter.

That’s substantially less than what the Brewers could lock him in for, even after accounting for the $250,000 buyout they’ll owe Williams if they don’t exercise the option.

The injury that wiped out the first half of Williams’s 2024 season severely curtailed his earning power heading into his final season of team control, even though he pitched very well after returning to the active roster in late July.

There’s certainly a margin of error around projected arbitration salaries, so declining the option might not save the team even $2 million.

The argument for exercising the option, then, centers on the possibility of being penny-wise but pound-foolish:

Should the team really anger a longtime cog and bullpen linchpin in the name of saving less than a backup catcher costs?

No matter what, though, the answer is yes. If the Brewers end up keeping Williams for 2025, they’ll still be letting him walk thereafter, as a free agent.

The relationship between player and team has little chance of lasting more than another 12 months, so souring it slightly (if indeed that’s what this would do) is of minor consequence.

Just as importantly, if the team does trade Williams this winter or next summer—as every seasoned Brewers fan already expects—his salary will be one key factor in setting his trade value.

Most of the league, Milwaukee included, is in the midst of a transitional phase in their revenue model, during which local broadcast income will plunge and they will need to think about how best to allocate resources.

The only teams not dealing with those problems are the coastal behemoths, and the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, and Phillies all have a different reason to care about an extra few million in salary attached to an acquired player: luxury taxes, which will roughly double that increase.

This will also be a competitive marketplace this winter.

With St. Louis flamethrower Ryan Helsley also on the block and Tanner Scott and Carlos Estévez available in free agency, the Brewers have to think about how they can offer the most compelling player in that space to teams interested in acquiring a closer.

That starts with making sure he costs as little as possible. If there were fewer alternatives, price might matter less, but that’s not the reality of this situation.

It’s not even clear that Williams would or should be upset by the move. Unlike taking players to arbitration hearings, exercising or declining options are obviously financial choices that don’t usually feel personal or cause rancor.

It’s rare that a team declines an option on a player and retains control of them, but again, it’s not as though Williams will still be a member of the Brewers three years from now, unless the relationship is unexpectedly excellent and he elects to sign a below-market deal.

The most likely outcome is that the Brewers decline the option, Williams largely doesn’t care, and the team moves forward into the winter, looking to trade him if the price is right. The upside of exercising the option to improve his mood by about $2 million is just not there.