When Devin Williams was forced to miss the first three months of the regular season, the Milwaukee Brewers had to find an alternative closer. The team eventually settled on Trevor Megill. Megill had a lot of success filling in for Williams and was even in the all-star game conversation. With Megill ready to take over as the Brewers next closer, this should make it a lot easier to trade Devin Williams this offseason. With three years of team control remaining, Milwaukee should make him their closer in 2025.
Devin Williams’s Injury Was A Blessing In Disguise
Embed from Getty ImagesIn what was already a tumultuous offseason, the team received more bad news at the beginning of Spring Training. All-Star closer Devin Williams had sustained a back injury and was forced to miss the first three months of the season. This was a costly blow to the Brewers bullpen that had no proven replacement. However, Williams’s injury ended up being a blessing in disguise for the Milwaukee Brewers.
During the first month of the season, the team mixed and matched relievers to close games. Relievers like Joel Payamps, Abner Uribe, Hoby Milner, and Megill all received opportunities to close out games. The team eventually handed over the closing duties to Megill full-time, and the 30-year-old flamethrower didn’t disappoint. He finished the 2024 season with an ERA of 2.72 and 21 saves. The first-time closer also did a great job at limiting the long ball as he only allowed four homers. Some believed he performed well enough to be an all-star this season. Arguably Trevor Megill’s success as a first-time closer was a big reason why Milwaukee had a surprisingly successful season.
Megill Has “The Stuff” To Be Milwaukee’s Next Great Closer
The amazing thing about Trevor Megill’s success was he only primarily relied on two pitches. The 30-year-old primarily threw his fastball which averaged 98.8 miles per hour. He also mixed in his knuckle curveball 28.4% of the time as well. His two-pitch mix was so deceptive that induced a whiff rate of 29.4%. Opposing hitters struck out 27.3% of the time against Megill’s two-pitch arsenal. Despite being a high-velocity pitcher, the opponents only had a walk rate of 7.7%. In summary, Trevor Megill has the stuff to be the Brewers’ next closer. Milwaukee should be very comfortable with the idea of having him be the closer for the entire season.
The Closing Role Should Be Solidified Once Again
Embed from Getty ImagesOver the years, the Milwaukee Brewers have done a great job at grooming closer. We’ve seen them go from Corey Knebel to Josh Hader to Devin Williams currently. During their tenure with the Brewers, all three of them combined to appear in seven all-star games. Williams will be a free agent after next season and Milwaukee probably isn’t offering him an extension. Given that Trevor Megill proved he could handle closing, this should make it easy for Milwaukee to trade Williams. The Brewers also have three years of team control remaining on Trevor Megill. Unless Megill struggles, Milwaukee’s closer spot should be solidified for the next three seasons.
Should Be Another Seamless Closer Transition
Embed from Getty ImagesDevin Williams is going to be a free agent after next season. However, the Milwaukee Brewers should be very comfortable with where their closer role is at. While Williams was out, Trevor Megill provided a promising three-month sample size. The 30-year-old flamethrower did so well that some thought he should’ve been an all-star. The team has done a great job at grooming closers and the transition should be seamless. With Megill ready to take over the ninth inning, Milwaukee should feel uncomfortable with trading Williams away. Trevor Megill has the stuff to be an all-star caliber closer and it should be another seamless transition for Milwaukee.
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