Brewers' Devin Williams Replacement Quietly Emerging As Star

The Milwaukee Brewers are the best team in baseball right now, and the vibes couldn't be any higher if they tried. And they haven't gotten to this point by accident.

In fact, the Brewers have been trading for, drafting, signing, and developing this team for years now. They're notorious for winning the small trades that are often overlooked. Milwaukee also seems to turn selling moves into trade heists every time.

A few years ago, they had a dynamic duo of Josh Hader and Devin Williams in the bullpen. Hader was one of the best closers in baseball, but the Brewers opted to trade him for a haul, elevating Williams to the closer role.

Williams dominated for a few years. In the offseason, Milwaukee opted to trade Williams to the New York Yankees, replacing him with righty Trevor Megill. Even after trading away Hader and Williams, the Brewers have one of the best closers in baseball.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently highlighted the Brewers' closer as the eighth-best closer in baseball right now, ranking well above where Williams would have ranked if he were still the Yankees' closer.

Trevor Megill quietly turning into the Brewers' next big star

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Trevor Megil — Aug 4, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Trevor Megill (29) celebrates after a victory over the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

"The Brewers continue to do a great job passing the torch to the next in-house option at closer, going from Josh Hader to Devin Williams to Megill, who was a first-time All-Star this year," Reuter wrote. "The towering 6'8" righty has 49 saves in 55 chances over the past two seasons, and he did an excellent job filling in for an injured Williams during the first half of the 2024 season to prove his mettle."

Megill has been incredible for the Brewers this season, but he was also dominant last season when Williams missed time with injuries. Milwaukee likely wouldn't have traded Hader if it wasn't confident in Williams. The Brewers likely wouldn't have traded Williams if they weren't fully confident in Megill's abilities to take over his place.

And now this confidence is paying dividends for the Brewers as they got rid of Williams right before he collapsed into a shell of his former self. The righty has been horrendous for the Yankees this season and the Brewers look like they pulled off a trade heist.

Megill and the Brewers are riding a 12 game winning streak, as of Thursday, and they could look to push it to 15 games in a row by the end of the weekend.

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