Devin Williams is Hurt: Who's the Milwaukee Brewers' Closer Now?

Over the winter, Devin Williams signed a two-year deal with the Brewers, not only avoiding arbitration for this offseason but eliminating the annoyance of wondering about it next offseason. Williams looked locked in as the team's dominant closer. Now, that's up in the air again.

Milwaukee Brewers star closer Devin Williams has two stress fractures in his back and is expected to miss around three months, sources tell ESPN. Williams pitched through back soreness in September, but it returned earlier this spring. He'll rehab and should return by midseason.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 14, 2024

As reported by Jeff Passan, Williams is going to be out for the first half of the season while he nurses his back injury. Thus, the Brewers need a stopgap closer. What options do they have? Who can take on that role? Here are a few pitchers who can take over the closer gig for the next three months--and perhaps longer.

The Frontrunners
Joel Payamps was used as the primary setup man for Williams last season. After acquiring him in the William Contreras trade, the Crew put Payamps to work as a flyer with no minor-league options remaining.

Despite the rough 2023 spring, the Brewers elected to keep him on the roster, and boy did he reward that faith. He had (by far) the best season in his career, with a 7-5 record, a 2.55 ERA, a 1.05 WHIP and 27 holds. He also collected the first three saves of his career.

By all rights, the closer role should be given to him. However, there might be uncertainty in maintaining the same success he had last season. Prior to joining the Brewers, he never had an ERA below 3.00. In multiple ways, he seems like a candidate for significant regression.

Payamps's off-speed pitches have been successful throughout his career. That is especially the case with his slider, as 37 of his 77 strikeouts were on that pitch last year. However, he doesn’t get a ton of players to chase his pitches outside the zone (25.4%).

Payamps is probably the front-runner for the job. But with no minor league options left, too many mistakes could lead to his Brewers tenure coming to an end. Right now, it doesn’t seem like he’s showing signs of regression. They just might have to go with the hot hand on this one.

We know it will be a matter of time before the team will lose Williams in free agency. Perhaps it may be time to see what the future can look like with 23-year-old righthander Abner Uribe. In his stint in the big leagues last summer, Uribe struck out 39 batters, with a 1.76 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He kept an opponent batting average at .154, and didn't allow a single home run in 32 games.

His four-seam fastball was touching speeds up to 103 MPH, and that’s not even his best pitch. His most effective pitch was his slider, which had a 58.1% whiff rate and held batters to a .080 batting average. The most common pitch he throws is his sinker, which still averaged 99.4 MPH with heavy action.

With just half a year of big-league experience, he now competes to make one of the limited bullpen spots. The Brewers can continue to ride the high by inserting him in high-pressure roles such as setup man or closer. While he did give up four runs in his most recent spring training outing, skipper Pat Murphy is confident in the young arm.

The thing is, he is still young, and the Brewers might want to ease him into these roles. Uribe is still projected to be the closer of the future, but even Josh Hader was eased into the closer spot.

Other Options
There were a ton of arms who rose to the occasion for the Brewers last season. Before being traded to Milwaukee, Bryse Wilson had a career ERA north of 5.00. He was an occasional starter for teams like the Braves and the Pirates in years past. The Brewers utilized him as a middle relief arm.

He had a 2.58 ERA in 53 appearances with a 1.07 WHIP and three saves. His opponents' stat line was .211/.271/.377, and he gave up a hard-hit percentage below the league average. Like Payamps, however, he doesn’t have any minor-league options left and cannot afford to struggle. He was rocked in his most recent outing, allowing nine runs in just three innings of work.

Other players who shined in certain situations include Trevor Megill. After stints with the Cubs and the Twins, the Brewers acquired Megill in a trade in April. He was called up for the first time in May. His stats don’t exactly look as impressive as others mentioned above, but he still recorded the best numbers of his career last season, and late in the season, he was overpowering.

The Brewers could use a pitcher with Megill's strikeout stuff, especially in the late innings. He hasn’t had a ton of chances to close out a game, but he did record four holds last season. Maybe we can see an increased role for the hard-throwing righthander. Then again, he does have a minor-league option left.

It might be time to start suggesting names that have had a great spring thus far. Bryan Hudson, whom the Brewers acquired from the Dodgers, has a 1.08 ERA in 8 1/3 innings and stuck out 14 batters. The Brewers only have Hoby Milner as a reliable left-handed reliever, so maybe Hudson can slide in as a potential arm out of the pen.

Then there’s Elvis Peguero, who has a 1.00 WHIP and a .167 opponent batting average in five innings of work this spring. As one of the arms acquired in the Hunter Renfroe trade with the Angels, Peguero was used as a seventh-inning arm and an occasional setup man, depending on availability. His 21 holds and one save last season do sound like a potential pitcher to get some chances to finish the game. It's fair to say the Brewers have options.

The Big Question: The Next Man Up
While one door slams shut, another one opens. Since Williams will start on the injured list (probably the 60-day version), there will be an opening on the 40-man roster. So, who could we see added to the 40-man roster?

While he is trying to compete as a starter, Robert Gasser could be added to the 40-man and join the bullpen as a long relief option. Even ace starters like Corbin Burnes, Brandon Woodruff and Freddy Peralta had stints in the bullpen before becoming reliable arms in the rotation. Gasser spent the entire 2023 season in Nashville and may be ready to spend time in Milwaukee. His 3.00 ERA and six strikeouts in six innings this spring sounds promising.

Don’t expect Gasser to close games. Rather, his presence could give others the chance to succeed in the closer role. If we see Wilson, Hudson, or Peguero try to close games, the team will need another arm to fill the void they left behind. It could lead to a domino effect for the bullpen.

Perhaps Williams’s injury could’ve also saved a player’s job. Murphy suggested Jakob Junis could be used in multiple roles. The coach also suggested he’d prefer Joe Ross in the rotation. Should that end up being the case, it could come down between Junis or even DL Hall for the final spot in the rotation. The other one will probably take a spot in the pen.

If Payamps becomes the closer, would Uribe become the setup man? Does Peguero stick with his seventh-inning slot? No matter how they move around the bullpen, each and every one of the players that make the roster will need to step up. We are just going to have to wait and see.

Who would you like to see close games? Do you think Uribe is the successor to Williams? Who else could you see get opportunities in the bullpen? Will the Brewers perform well without the Airbender? Let us know.