The Philadelphia Phillies may be able to upgrade their bullpen by acquiring a pitcher considered by many to be the MLB’s best closer.
Phillies could entertain Brewers shopping superstar closer Devin Williams
CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder linked Milwaukee Brewers star reliever Devin Williams to the Phillies as a potential fit. Snyder had this to say about Milwaukee looking for a team to take him off their hands:
“What if the Phillies let both Estévez and Hoffman walk and then traded for Williams? The Brewers are known to be shopping the elite closer and he’d be a great fit with any team,” wrote Snyder.
Williams is an extremely efficient ninth-inning performer
Williams is as sound a closer as there is in the Major Leagues today. The 30-year-old righty was limited to only 22 games in 2024, yet still managed to record 14 saves behind a sparkling 1.25 ERA. In his last full season heathy, Williams notched 36 saves, having retired 87 batters to the tune of a 1.53 ERA.
Williams may be exactly what the doctor ordered for the Phillies’ bullpen
The Phillies’ bullpen finished the previous campaign with the sixth-fewest saves (37) in the big leagues. They could definitely use a player of Williams’s caliber to boost that tally and help them put away some of their biggest foes come playoff time, a la the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Missouri native played on a one-year, $7.25 million deal in 2024. The Brewers did not pick up his $10.5 million team option for the 2025 campaign, but will compensate him with a $250,000 buyout despite still having him under club control, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and Theo DeRosa. Thus, the Phillies could seize the moment to make a play for the scintillating closer and further their pursuit of a World Series crown next season.
