Do Surging Milwaukee Brewers Need a New Co-Closer?

[Jake McKibbin]

Image courtesy of © James A. Pittman-Imagn Images

Trevor Megill has been admirable this season, closing out 18 of 22 games and often coming up clutch even in non-save, late-game situations. That being said, the Milwaukee Brewers have become accustomed to a certain shutdown "unhittability" from their closers, and Megill doesn't quite meet that lofty standard. The four-seam fastball has been more hittable than ever this year, meaning that if he loses the feel for his knuckle-curveball, it can become a dire situation quite quickly.

On top of that, they've moved Nick Mears away from high-leverage spots to decrease his burden, while Abner Uribe is tiring. Both Mears and Uribe have shown wear under extreme usage. Jared Koenig has been solid as well, but the Brewers bullpen just hasn't had that same aura of invincibility—even as they've come on strong over the last month.

The Brewers rank fourth in Major League Baseball for innings pitched out of the bullpen (332 1/3) and are running a 4.22 relief ERA. Yes, some blowouts (such as the Yankees series) may be skewing that ERA, but even from the start of May, their bullpen ERA is 17th with a 4.04 mark. In 2023 and 2024, they had the second-best bullpen in baseball, but that just hasn't been a strength this season.

A few distinct problems plague the relief corps. They don't keep the ball on the ground all that effectively (42.8%, 15th), don't strike a lot of hitters out (22.6%, 13th) and have a moderately high walk rate (12th-highest in MLB, at 9.5%). Those are the components of a mid-tier pitching performance, and that's exactly where the bullpen sits right now.

The addition of one player comfortable in high-leverage spots could change all of that immediately. Whether it be in place of DL Hall (who appears to be in the dog house right now), Grant Anderson or Rob Zastryzny (who has actually been very effective but would have less leeway than most), if the Brewers can split the 7th- to 9th-inning duties between Uribe, Megill, Koenig and one new weapon, they can allow for one of that group to rest with greater regularity. 

Anderson, Zastryzny and Aaron Ashby have the stuff to handle the 7th inning, and the funkiness to exploit situational matchups every once in a while. Allowing Uribe, Koenig and Megill to be fresh come September by adding another dominant arm could have massive implications in September and beyond. As it stands, Uribe is tied for sixth in the majors in games pitched out of the bullpen, while Koenig is tied for 13th. The question, of course, is whom they should add to the mix.

On the surface, Seranthony Domínguez has been highly effective, albeit with a few command issues. His raw stuff is some of the best in baseball, with a 97-98 mph fastball from a low arm slot (adding some variety when following or preceding the slots of Megill or Mears) and a deep arsenal for a reliever. With above-average whiff rates (misses per swing) on his four-seamer and sinker and the deadly offspeed mix of his splitter and sweeper, Domínguez has a ceiling of being one of the best relievers in baseball. To add to that, when he's keeping his fastball in that upper third, every single one of his pitches generates poor quality of contact against them.

Domínguez's electric raw stuff would give the Brewers' coaching staff a lot to work with. He's in the top 5 percent of major-league hurlers in both expected batting average and expected slugging, and has given up just three home runs all season—all on fastballs he missed down in the zone with. He's very hard to square up

Historically, Domínguez also hasn't been as wild with his walk rates, sitting at 9.8% and 8,2% in 2023 and 2024 before jumping to 14.2% in 2025. If we compare the different pitch usage, a couple of things stand out. Here's his movement plot for 2025 (left) and for 2024 (right):

Domínguez has ditched his slider for the bigger-breaking sweeper and is leaning on the sweeper and splitter—two pitches that traditionally work best when they end up outside the strike zone. Thus, he's sitting inside the strike zone a lot less. To round out his arsenal, the Brewers may want to bring back that shorter slider and use it to create a breaking pitch that can land in the strike zone (and still manage contact effectively), creating that thought in a hitter that a glove-side pitch isn't necessarily going to break almost a foot. Maybe the answer is even replacing the slider with a firmer, shorter version thereof, akin to a cutter.

Overall, Domínguez is landing just 42.3% of his pitches inside the strike zone. With his prodigious stuff, he doesn't need to be landing a lot in the zone, but it needs to be closer to that 50% mark for him to have more sustainable success, especially against the more patient offenses that you'll face come October.

All in all, Domínguez is one of the best high-ceiling relievers in baseball and is a free agent after 2025, curtailing the price somewhat. There should be serious demand for him, but it's unlikely to be a true top prospect-caliber deal, which is where the depth of the Brewers' farm system could come to the fore. The price tag for Dominguez could look more like Brett Wichrowski than Josh Knoth or Bryce Meccage. Having such a bevy of talented hurlers gives the Brewers the luxury of considering that kind of move, to deepen their bullpen for a pennant race to come.

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What would you think of a package for Seranthony Dominguez? Would you chase him to bolster this Brewers bullpen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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[Brian]

It wouldn't hurt to have 2 of them because the Brewers rarely have a blowout win so there not needed in a game. 

[Snoebird]

The Brewers' rotation is about to add Woodruff and Cortes to Peralta, Miz/Gasser and Quintana, so I would take a look at Priester as someone who could act as a leverage reliever. What should concern Matt Arnold more is not having the center fielder he was hoping that Garrett Mitchell would have become by now. This team is being held back by a compromised William Contreras and the lack of a slugging, high-profile center fielder who could bump Jackson Chourio over to left field. 

[Brian]

21 minutes ago, Snoebird said:

The Brewers' rotation is about to add Woodruff and Cortes to Peralta, Miz/Gasser and Quintana, so I would take a look at Priester as someone who could act as a leverage reliever. What should concern Matt Arnold more is not having the center fielder he was hoping that Garrett Mitchell would have become by now. This team is being held back by a compromised William Contreras and the lack of a slugging, high-profile center fielder who could bump Jackson Chourio over to left field. 

Then one of the Brewers starters needs to become at least a long reliever/closer help.  Gasser may be a good one for that. 

[gregmag]

You make a pretty good case, but I have two issues. 

First, your portrayal of the present bullpen’s quality is very misleading. You cite the 4.04 bullpen ERA since May 1. But only one reliever who actually plays for the Brewers now has an ERA above that supposed benchmark: Koenig at 4.19.  Everyone else (if you don’t count Bauers’ 3.60) has an ERA at least a run below it; Anderson at 3.05 is the worst after Koenig. The overall bullpen ERA is inflated by guys the team has demoted or cut loose. If you’re giving a true account of the bullpen’s quality, you have to account for addition by subtraction.

Second, you don’t even consider internal improvements. If I’m thinking about trading Wichrowski, say, for bullpen help, I want to know what premium in production I’m getting beyond what I can get for free. If I’m counting right, eight healthy pitchers at Nashville have pitched for the Brewers this year. Now, most of those guys are among the aforementioned demoted group. But have any of them gotten themselves together?  Craig Yoho has a 1.01 ERA at Nashville. Is he ready to contribute in Milwaukee?  What you could reasonably expect to get from the best bet at Nashville, whether that’s Yoho or someone else, should be the floor against which you measure what you could reasonably expect to get from Dominguez or any other trade target, in assessing whether the trade price is worth paying. 

[Underachiever]

1 hour ago, gregmag said:

You make a pretty good case, but I have two issues. 

First, your portrayal of the present bullpen’s quality is very misleading. You cite the 4.04 bullpen ERA since May 1. But only one reliever who actually plays for the Brewers now has an ERA above that supposed benchmark: Koenig at 4.19.  Everyone else (if you don’t count Bauers’ 3.60) has an ERA at least a run below it; Anderson at 3.05 is the worst after Koenig. The overall bullpen ERA is inflated by guys the team has demoted or cut loose. If you’re giving a true account of the bullpen’s quality, you have to account for addition by subtraction.

I think that the portrayal is accurate. I believe that with the number of innings the bullpen has pitched, and will probably pitch going forward, that the depth at Nashville will be used extensively. A lot of those demoted relievers will be coming back as the season goes on. I think we are seeing some fatigue already. They cannot ride the high leverage guys as extensively as they have.  

[jay87shot]

I wouldn't have a problem adding a high end closer however I don't think Dominguez would be it. He has a 3.31 era (3.45 fip) which probably puts him like him in our 7/8 inning role at best. He also wasn't great the past 2 years (solid not great).

I do think we have better internal options

1)Ashby.    In this case Woody would go the rotation, Patrick to long man, Ashby to 8/9 role depending on lineup

2) Misi.     Misi has about 20 innings to meet last year's innings so basically the team will have to reduce his innings pace at some point. I think the bullpen the last month and playoffs would be the likely spot. You could possibly make the same argument for Logan Henderson here as well. For the record I like the idea of making him a reliever like Hader from his 1st year plus just put him in the biggest spot of the game regardless of inning.

3) Uribe.    By making Uribe part time close they can audition him for the role long term and semi reduce the workload (has not had any long seasons because of injuries). Someone like Yoho could the take Uribe's current role.

4) Woody.    At this point he is a ways away from being a closer. But we know he has a bulldog mentality and likely could maintain velocity (95+) in shorter bullpen appearances. With the rotation going well he may need to go to the pen anyway.

5) Trade.     I think better options include Finnegan, Bednar (iffy), Bautista (much higher price), Estevez (not as much a Baustista but higher), Rasiel Iglesias (if he puts together a good July), Chapman, and maybe a surprise. If we think a reliever can put us over the top we need to get a high quality one.