Can the Phillies Make a Trade for the Star Closer of the Brewers?

There has been some talks that the Philadelphia Phillies might be looking for another major piece before the offseason comes to a close. They’ve been linked to high-profile players like Cody Bellinger and Jordan Montgomery at this portion of free agency, but it feels unlikely the front office would pay what those two are looking for if their price doesn’t crater. Bullpen has long been seen as an area of need after the departure of Craig Kimbrel.

The Phillies have routinely missed on some of their reported targets before pulling off a trade with the Chicago Cubs to acquire Michael Rucker. This certainly helps their depth, and the righty is a cost-controlled asset with upside, but no one would point to this addition as a major move.

What Philadelphia could do, however, is pull off a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers to land their star closer Devin Williams. After shipping Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles, the Brewers are reportedly looking to send out some of their other star players to get prospects back in return.

“One source said Milwaukee could be open to a trade of closer Devin Williams, who has two years of club control remaining prior to free agency,” reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.

The Phillies had been loosely linked to a potential blockbuster deal centered around Emmanuel Clase of the Cleveland Guardians, but all the trade packages thrown around to get that completed made no sense from Philadelphia’s perspective. Williams is much closer to reaching free agency than Clase, likely commanding less of an asking price.

Milwaukee just gave up their former Cy Young winner in exchange for a pitching prospect with some MLB experience out of the bullpen, a top-10 infield prospect and the 34th overall draft pick in 2024. Not exactly a high price to pay.

It would be interesting to know what the Brewers want in return for Williams. He’s coming off two consecutive All-Star selections after recording ERAs of 1.93 and 1.53 in 2022 and 2023 over 126 appearances combined. The 29-year-old would be a major addition for the Phillies. They should at least explore the possibility of this deal as they look to close out their offseason.