What comes next? Inside Brewers locker room after crushing series loss to the Mets

MILWAUKEE – In the moments after Game 3, after the Brewers’ stunning 4-2 loss to the Mets, Rhys Hoskins approached Devin Williams at his locker and offered words of encouragement. Another teammate wrapped his right arm around Williams and said, “I’m going to tell my kids that I was your teammate one day.”

Finally, Bob Uecker approached Williams and spoke for five minutes while the right-hander’s eyes welled up. The two hugged and offered goodbye’s before Williams joined Hoskins and other teammates in the corner of the Brewers’ clubhouse.

Williams, the Brewers’ star closer, entered the ninth inning with a 2-0 lead. The Mets had only mustered two hits through eight innings and were on the brink of elimination. But Williams quickly allowed two base runners and then Pete Alonso, the Mets’ star first baseman, sent a three-run blast over the right field wall to give the Mets the lead.

“Everyone did their job except for me,” Williams said. “I feel like I let everyone down.”

Weight of Brewers crushing loss will be felt this winter

These Brewers weren’t even supposed to be here. Just ask them. They endured so many injuries, losing 4/5th of their starting rotation, losing Christian Yelich for the season after undergoing back surgery, losing Craig Counsell to the Chicago Cubs, and trading star pitcher Corbin Burnes before the regular season. But numerous young players stepped up, both offensively and in the rotation, and formed what multiple players described postgame as the closest clubhouse they have ever been part of.

They won 93 regular season games. They won the National League Central by 10 games. The first season of the Pat Murphy era was a resounding success. But that doesn’t make Thursday’s crushing loss any easier.

“It’s a lot of disappointment,” Williams said. “We worked all year to get to this point. They got me a two-run lead there in the ninth. That’s how you draw it up. I couldn’t come through for the boys. No one feels worse than I do.”

“There’s a lot to be proud of,” Hoskins said. “But a lot of disappointment right now.”

Now, the Brewers enter yet another offseason filled with uncertainty. Willy Adames, the team’s star shortstop, is a free agent. Rhys Hoskins has an $18 million player option for the 2025 season. Williams has one year remaining on his contract and the Brewers have a history of trading star players before they reach free agency (see: Josh Hader, Corbin Burnes).

Brewers executive Matt Arnold will attempt to re-sign Adames. He will be active on the free agent market. He will be active on the trade market, both in acquiring players and listening to players on the major-league roster. But the foundation – Christian Yelich, Jackson Chourio, William Contreras, Bryce Turang, Sal Frelick, among many others – is currently in place and gives Arnold a strong base to build around.

That was part of the message that Pat Murphy delivered to his team after the game, that “out of this disappointment, out of this situation, you will grow. You will rise again, and something good will come out of it.” 

For many of these Brewers players, this loss will sting all offseason. After the game, many of the players’ wives or girlfriends stood outside the clubhouse with tears in their eyes. Williams sat at his locker with his head down and scrolled his phone. None of them had words. Only minutes earlier, they were on the verge of advancing to the National League Divisional Series. Then, in one swing of Alonso’s bat, their season was abruptly over.

“I’m telling you,” Uecker said. “That one had some sting on it.”

Willy Adames

The Brewers will try to re-sign Adames in the offseason, but team officials admit that there will be other suitors in free agency in better position to outbid Milwaukee. Team owner Mark Attanasio said, “I think the free-agent contract is going to be very valuable for him and quite high. We’ll do what we can to stretch, but others have bigger pocketbooks, and we’ll see what happens.

Among the potential fits for Adames in free agency include the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves, among others. In four seasons with the Brewers, Adames established himself as one of the best shortstops in baseball, hitting .244/.324/.457 with 107 home runs, 348 RBI and a 119 OPS+. He’s also coming off a season in which he stole a career-high 21 bases.

After the game, Adames admitted that free agency has been on his mind and that it’s a “tough spot to be in.”

“I don’t know if I’m going to come back,” Adames said. “Like I said, I hope. If not, it’s been a helluva time here. It’s been an amazing time.

“A lot of great memories. I shared this clubhouse with a lot of great players, great personalities like Bob (Uecker). He just made me cry. They made me a better player since I got here. They helped me to grow, on and off the field, and I’m just grateful.

Rhys Hoskins

The expectation around baseball is that Rhys Hoskins will exercise his $18 million player option for the 2025 season to return to the Milwaukee Brewers, but Hoskins said after the game that he is undecided and that he will take time to figure it out.

“It’s a good question. I don’t know,” Hoskins said, when asked about his future. “That’s a long way away.”