Philadelphia Phillies Predicted to Pursue Milwaukee Brewers High Caliber Closer

Should the Philadelphia Phillies pursue closer Devin Williams?

Sep 22, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Devin Williams (38) reacts after picking up a save in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at American Family Field. / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies were eliminated by the New York Mets in the National League Divisional Series, and this will be a very interesting offseason for the organization.

It was a really disappointing end to the year for the Phillies, as they were eliminated by the Mets in four games in the NLDS. This Philadelphia team had the potential heading into the postseason to win a World Series, as they had pretty much all the necessary tools based on their performance in the regular season. 

However, in the postseason, that wasn’t the case, as their lineup struggled for the most part and their bullpen was awful. 

With the offseason starting earlier than they would have liked, the Phillies will now be thinking about how to improve this team. 

Adding an outfielder in either center or left field that can be a factor at the plate makes a lot of sense, as they didn’t get a ton of production from those positions against New York. Furthermore, they will likely be retooling a bullpen that, while they pitched well during the year, struggled in the playoffs. 

Recently, Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report spoke about Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers being a potential trade target for the Phillies this offseason. 

“Much like last winter when the Minnesota Twins exercised their $10.5M club option on Jorge Polanco in November only to trade him away in January, look for the Brew Crew to "keep" Williams before trading him—possibly to the Phillies, who have both Carlos Estévez and Jeff Hoffman hitting free agency and have been in a near-permanent state of trying to find a reliable closer.”

With Estevez and Hoffman both being free agents, the bullpen will have to be an area that Philadelphia addresses. While the unit was strong during the year, Rob Thompson didn’t have a closer the caliber of Williams to lean on at the end of the game on a consistent basis. 

The Brewers have been very good when it comes to trading their talented players that they know they won't be able to sign long-term, as last offseason they shipped off Corbin Burnes for a nice haul from the Baltimore Orioles. 

Knowing that the Phillies will be desperate for a closer this winter after what happened in the NLDS, Milwaukee would likely be able to get a nice haul. 

For Philadelphia, this team still has the potential to compete for a World Series in 2025, but adding a closer like Williams would be a significant boost.