Brewers declining Devin Williams' option leaves Pirates with no excuse not to explore trade

The Milwaukee Brewers have declined Devin Williams' $10.5 million club option for 2025, opening the door for the Pittsburgh Pirates to become trade partners with their National League Central Division rivals this offseason.

It's no secret that the Pirates' bullpen vastly underperformed this past season, punctuated by David Bednar's disastrous collapse in the second half that got him demoted from the closer role. Enter Williams, one of the most dominant relievers in baseball since he arrived in the big leagues in 2020, who could be the answer to the Pirates' bullpen problem.

Williams was 1-0 with a 1.25 ERA in 21.2 innings pitched in 2024, but he missed most of the year with multiple stress fractures in h back. He recorded 36 saves the season before and has a career 27-10 record with a 1.83 ERA and 14.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

Brewers declining Devin Williams' option leaves Pirates with no excuse not to explore trade

With the Brewers declining his option, Williams will receive a $250,000 buyout and remain under team control for the 2025 season via arbitration. MLB Trade Rumors projects him to earn $7.7 million in his final arbitration-eligible season before entering free agency, so the Brewers are likely to save at least $2 million by declining his option and opting for arbitration.

The Brewers are likely to explore trading Williams this offseason, following the pattern they established with former closer Josh Hader and staff ace Corbin Burnes. Given that Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said in October that he would remain "open-minded" to the possibility of a trade, Pirates GM Ben Cherington has no excuse not to give him a call.

The $7.7 million Williams is expected to earn in arbitration may be on the high end for what the Pirates usually pay their players, but it's a bargain for a pitcher of his caliber. Quite frankly, even the $10.5 million he would have earned if the Brewers picked up his option would be worth it for the Pirates to explore a trade, especially with Aroldis Chapman's $10 million salary from 2024 likely to come off the books.

The Pirates have more than enough starting pitching depth to deal from in order to make an enticing trade offer to Milwaukee, who desperately needs rotation depth. An opportunity like this one is too good to pass up, and the Pirates have no excuse not to explore it.

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