Brewers GM gives hope that Devin Williams may not be traded after all this offseason

Coming off a brutal playoff series loss to the Mets, the Milwaukee Brewers kept the pain coming when it was revealed that they would have to entertain trading away closer Devin Williams. While Williams' playoff performance (and possible pitch tipping) left a lot to be desired, he is normally one of the best closers in baseball and the prospect of losing him along with Willy Adames this offseason was a punch in the gut for Brewers fans.

Moving Williams certainly fit into what has become a pattern of behavior for Milwaukee, however. As soon as a player gets expensive in arbitration and/or expresses an unwillingness to accept what the Brewers offer as an extension, they trade them away for salary relief and to reload their farm system. Just last offseason, that is exactly what happened when the Brewers traded Corbin Burnes to the Orioles, although there was a bit of a poisoned relationship there on top of the payroll concerns.

While some thought that Milwaukee trading Williams this offseason was now inevitable, general manager Matt Arnold at least provided some hope that Milwaukee could hang on to Williams at least to start 2025 after all.

Devin Williams could be staying with the Brewers after all

While Arnold did not close the door on trading Williams completely, he certainly threw some cold water on the idea. When talking to reporters down at the GM meetings this week, Arnold said, “I would say right now that we’re focused on him being a Brewer because he’s really good and really talented. We consider him to be the best closer in baseball; he certainly makes our big league team better and that’s where we’re focused right now.”

That is certainly a bit of an about-face from right after the season when Arnold said that Milwaukee may have to entertain trading Williams. However, the lack of urgency does make sense when you look at the big picture. Assuming they don't need Williams entire salary this offseason, they can simply hang on to him and then move him at the trade deadline for what would likely be a pretty similar return from bullpen-starved contenders. Meanwhile, they can reap the benefits of having him at the back of their bullpen in the meantime.

Of course, all of that could change with just a single offer this offseason While Arnold may be planning for Williams to start the season in Milwaukee, there are not many high impact free agent relievers available this offseason. If one of the desperate bullpen hungry contenders throws a big package of prospects at Arnold and the Brewers, the decision calculus could change in a hurry.

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