Brewers’ ideal Devin Williams replacement also comes with sweet Cardinals revenge

In terms of incoming talent, the Milwaukee Brewers have been relatively silent this offseason. Much of the noise has been made by way of a couple of notable departures — Willy Adames and closer Devin Williams. It leaves some gaps in a Brewers roster that impressed under manager Pat Murphy during his first campaign at the helm following the exit of Craig Counsell to a division rival.

Although the organization has potential replacements for Adames, such as Joey Ortiz or possibly Brice Turang moving over, the absence of reliability in late-inning pitching is far more noticeable.

Williams, who was dealt to the New York Yankees by the Wisconsin outfit on Dec.13 in exchange for Nestor Cortés Jr., Caleb Durbin and cash considerations, was a rock when healthy at the back end of the Brewers pen. His postseason performances did leave a lot to be desired, however. In order to fill in the void Williams left, the Brew Crew may look at a veteran starter formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals -- Lance Lynn.

According to a report from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal ($), Lynn is "intrigued" by the idea of entering the fold in high-leverage situations, instead of setting the tone as a starter. While Lynn did begin his career in St. Louis as a relief arm in 2011, he hasn't thrown in a reliever role since 2018 when he was with the Yankees. That was also only two outings. He has built his reputation entirely as a starter.

Since 2014, only eight pitchers have tallied more major league starts than Lynn's 276. Of the eight, the Indiana native's earned run average ranks fifth (3.73), behind Gerrit Cole, and Max Scherzer among others.

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Pat Murphy and the Brewers can do to Lance Lynn what the St. Louis Cardinals should have done

In his first campaign back with the Cardinals in 2024, Lynn recorded a 3.84 ERA in 117.1 innings pitched as a starter. Injuries held him back. Right knee inflammation limited him to just two starts over the final two months of last season. Concerns over his durability are legitimate. That was likely the main reason why the Cardinals opted to not pick up his 2025 team option.

Shifting him back into a relief arm could be a solution to some of those hesitations — something St. Louis didn't seem to ponder. Pitching less frequently and for much shorter bursts puts less stress on an individual's arm, allowing them to potentially bounce back from injury setbacks. It's an incredibly creative idea for Murphy's team, considering the market for relievers has begun to dry up a bit in the last few weeks.

At 37, who knows how much gash Lynn has left in the tank as a rotation mainstay? Bringing in Lynn to toss in those decisive spots is worth a shot for the Brewers. While he failed to stay on the field for one NL Central side, an experiment with another could pay massive dividends. He does have the mentality to do it too, demonstrating it across 10 playoff appearances in 2011 for St. Louis.

“... If you’re not starting and have the ability to get outs in high-leverage situations at the back end of games, there’s no bigger thrill than that ... " said Lynn. "I definitely have the fire for it. It would definitely be fun.”

Could Lynn 'The Reliever' be back with the Brewers? Why not? It's a path St. Louis never went down that could benefit both sides -- keeping the 37-year-old on the field while slotting into a bullpen that needs someone who can handle high-leverage spots like Williams did.