Brewers GM pours cold water on offseason Devin Williams trade, but doesn't close door

Last offseason, the Milwaukee Brewers made a difficult trade, sending Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles in a deal that sent Joey Ortiz and D.L. Hall to the Brewers. The reason why they went through with the deal was quite simple. Burnes had just one more year of club control remaining before he was likely going to depart in free agency. Rather than risk losing him for nothing more than a compensatory pick, the Brewers got what they could for their ace.

This was nothing new for the Brewers. At the 2022 trade deadline, they made the decision to trade Josh Hader despite the team being competitive to ensure that they could get a meaningful return for him when he would have departed after the 2023 campaign as a free agent.

Brewers fans had reason to expect the same kind of outcome with Devin Williams, the team's closer. No, Williams is not bad. In fact, he's one of the best closers in the game, even despite his lack of postseason success. They'd trade him this offseason to ensure that they get a meaningful return before he likely departs after the 2025 season.

Another sign that a Williams trade was brewing came about when the Brewers made the decision to decline the right-hander's $10.5 million club option for the 2025 season. He's still under team control so will be paid through the arbitration process (if a new deal isn't agreed upon beforehand), but Williams likely won't make that $10.5 million he would've made had Milwaukee exercised the club option. The thought there was that Williams would be easier to trade if he was on a cheaper contract.

Despite the obvious signs of a trade, Brewers GM Matt Arnold made sure to throw some cold water on the idea.

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Devin Williams trade isn't as likely as once thought, but not ruled out completely

“I would say right now that we’re focused on him being a Brewer because he’s really good and really talented,” Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said. “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.”

Arnold is in a tough spot here. Williams makes the Brewers much better as he notes, and the team happens to be quite good right now. That's why Arnold is focused on the 30-year-old wearing a Brewers uniform.

While Arnold is focused on Williams being with the team for now, he didn't completely shut down Williams trades.

“Certainly we have to be open to those types of things, but I think he makes our team better,” Arnold said. “We have to be open to those types of moves; if we think something good presents itself, we'll always have to listen.”

The Brewers aren't seeking out a Williams trade, but if a good deal comes about, they'll have to listen. That's just the reality of operating in a small market mindset. The Brewers weren't prepared to trade Burnes or Hader until they wound up getting offers they deemed were too good to pass on. They never traded Willy Adames who is likely to leave in free agency.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com spoke to a rival executive who shared his belief of when (or if) Williams will get dealt.

"A rival executive believes the Brewers could hang on to Williams this offseason, then wait until July, when relievers are always in high demand and contenders are willing to pay more with the postseason in their sights."

This rival executive makes a lot of sense here. As we saw at the 2024 trade deadline, lockdown relievers are coveted when they can be had midseason. I mean, look at what the San Diego Padres gave up for half of a season of Tanner Scott. The Brewers might be able to get even more than what San Diego got for Williams if he can stay healthy and be the dominant reliever he has mostly always been.

The risk that comes with waiting, though, is that the Brewers might be good. If they are, and make the decision to hold onto Williams, they risk him walking the following offseason for nothing. If Williams gets hurt, they risk the team struggling and also getting nothing if he departs. That's worthwhile if the Brewers can win a World Series, obviously, but that's tough to bank on with so many elite teams in the National League.

Again, Arnold has a tough decision to make. Trading Williams now would make it a whole lot harder for the Brewers to repeat the season they just had. Their bullpen is their biggest strength, and Williams is their best reliever. On the other hand, trading Williams now ensures that they get a meaningful return, much like they did with Burnes.

Chances are, if a team comes out with a great offer, Williams will get dealt. If not, he'll be on the team at the very least until the trade deadline. From there, where the Brewers are record-wise will dictate his future.