How Will the Brewers Bullpen Look Without Devin Williams?

This isn’t the first time this has happened in recent history. Before Devin Williams, the team’s go-to high-leverage pitcher was a lefty by the name of Josh Hader. He was also traded before hitting free agency, albeit under slightly different circumstances. Williams was still outstanding in his final year with the team, whereas Hader had the worst season of his career before ultimately being swung to the Padres in mid-2022.

Suffice it to say, Milwaukee is no stranger to trading away top-tier closers and retooling the setup of their bullpen. They actually got a glimpse of what the roster would look like without Williams while he was on the shelf for much of 2024, due to stress fractures in his back. In his stead, Trevor Megill stepped up and performed admirably, accumulating 21 saves and posting a dominant 1.80 ERA over those outings. In many ways, his profile was perfect for his new responsibilities. A triple-digit four-seam fastball and a knuckle curve with a 55.0% whiff rate confused hitters and will likely be the key to elevating him to full-time closer come 2025.

But what about the other bullpen arms? What other tools will be in Pat Murphy's toolbox? 

Behind Megill on the depth chart is Joel Payamps. He was a reliable reliever in 2024, posting a 3.05 ERA and even accumulating six saves of his own, but there were clear holes in his game. With good-not-great strikeout and whiff rates and a penchant for giving up some hard contact, he’ll likely be limited to lower-leverage innings. His FIP of 3.73 and his xERA of 4.11 point to the possibility that he may have been more lucky than sustainably effective last year.

Behind Payamps is Jared Koenig, whose first year in the majors since 2022 was great, culminating in a 2.47 ERA over 62 innings. Like Payamps, his strikeout rate was average and his per-swing whiff rate (22.4%) was in the bottom quartile of qualified pitchers, so it’s tough to see him handling anything too intense. However, he was better than Payamps at inducing soft contact and could move forward in the depth chart in 2025 if he keeps up the good work. An important adjustment for him would be developing a second plus pitch to complement his sinker. His cutter had satisfactory production but with a slugging percentage of .424, it might need some refinements before it’s ready for the big innings.

Abner Uribe has a big question mark hanging over his head. After disappointing results in 2024 that included an unnecessary altercation with the Rays and season-ending knee surgery, he feels far removed from the buzz he created in 2023. He has shown the ability to be an outstanding arm with exceptional stuff, but his lack of command and experience are big obstacles. If he does manage to lock in for the upcoming year, he could be next in line and pick up a few saves, but there’s considerable room for improvement. 

Bryan Hudson was an underrated rookie who put up a sneaky 1.73 ERA and an incredible 0.72 WHIP over his 62 ⅓ innings of work. One of the best lefty relievers in the game, his massive 6'8” frame and wicked sweeper helped compensate for a fastball velocity in the low 90s, which sagged ever lower as his first full season in the big leagues progressed. Similar to Koenig, there’s intriguing potential here, but a small sample size leaves just enough uncertainty to keep things exciting. 

Other arms like Elvis Peguero and Nick Mears could soon be joined by some of the organization’s best prospects. At the top of the list to be called up would be Craig Yoho, who spent his 2024 dicing up three levels of the minor leagues. From High-A Wisconsin to Triple-A Nashville, Yoho’s combined a 0.94 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP. His 42.4% strikeout rate indicates just how successful he was. Fans have been clamoring for him to strut his stuff at the big-league level, and it might not be long before their wishes are granted. 

Megill is the clear frontrunner for the closer job. He was there last year; his arsenal and stuff are perfect for it; and he’s the most dependable arm in the bullpen right now. If he goes down or can’t come in on back-to-back days, Murphy has the luxury of several great options, but expect Hudson, Koenig and Uribe to be the subject of many of his phone calls come the later innings of next season's games.