The Philadelphia Phillies need to make bullpen upgrades this winter, especially after watching Carlos Estevez and Jeff Hoffman become free agents. Could president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski swing a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers for closer Devin Williams?
Milwaukee just declined the hurler's $10.5 million club option for 2025, but it was only to pinch pennies. Williams is still under team control for next season and Spotrac is estimating he'll earn $8.4 million. With that kind of move, the right-hander could be traded this winter, as ESPN's Jeff Passan noted.
Even with Estevez and Hoffman as part of the equation, the Phillies' bullpen struggled with consistency. The unit's 3.94 ERA ranked 14th in baseball while blowing 19 of 56 save opportunities. Williams is a two-time Reliever of the Year and has been one of MLB's most consistently dominant bullpen arms in recent seasons.
His 7.6 WAR and 1.70 ERA since 2020 rank second to Emmanuel Clase among qualified relievers. Williams was limited to 21 2/3 innings in 2024 because of a long stint on the injured list, but he was just as productive as usual. He twirled a 1.25 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 38 strikeouts.
Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer proposed the following one-for-one swap between Milwaukee and Philadelphia:
- Phillies receive: right-handed pitcher Devin Williams
- Brewers receive: second baseman Bryson Stott
Stott has produced a .695 OPS across 426 games since debuting for Philly in 2022, but he also brings a solid defensive reputation to the infield. He's been named a Gold Glove Award finalist each of the last two seasons.
Dombrowski might be open to this kind of deal based on comments during his end-of-season press conference on Oct. 15.
"I mean, the reality is, we have a lot of good players," he said via MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. "I think we just have to be open-minded to exploring what's out there for us, talk to some clubs and see what ends up happening. That process hasn't started. Sometimes you trade good players for good players."
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