Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez will officially become free agents at 5 p.m. ET Monday when players who have reached the market are able to negotiate with teams other than the one they most recently played for.
For as much as there are questions about how the Phillies will proceed in center and/or left field moving forward, the most pressing need for president of baseball operations will become the back-end of the bullpen, as the two highest-leverage arms that the team utilized down the stretch are now free agents.
Granted, the bullpen arrangement that the Phillies had in 2024 didn't pan out, as pretty much everyone in the arm barn struggled to some degree in the NLDS loss to the New York Mets. Hoffman surrenderred more earned runs (six) than he outs he recorded in the series (four). Estévez gave up a grand slam to Francisco Lindor in Game 4 of the series, which essentially stuck a fork in the Phillies.
It Sounds Like Only One, if Either, of Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez Will Return to Phillies - @OnPattison https://t.co/4aFugWCd6h
Dombrowski suggested in his year-end meeting with the media that the Phillies are unlikely to bring back both Hoffman and Estévez in free agency, if either. He's hesitated to make long-term investments in the closer position since coming to Philadelphia in December of 2020, but he acquired Craig Kimbrel at the height of his powers when he was leading the Boston Red Sox front office. You wonder if how the postseason played out might force his hand this winter.
The good news for Dombrowski is that if the Phillies decide they need a star closer, this appears likely to be a great offseason to find one. At the forefront of that is Milwaukee Brewers' closer Devin Williams, who seems increasingly likely to be dealt this winter.
The Brewers declined Williams' $10.5 million club option for 2025 on Sunday, instead choosing to pay him a $250,000 buyout. Williams doesn't have enough service time to become a free agent, so he and the Brewers will need to reach a deal for 2025 or head to arbitration. Matt Swartz of MLB Trade Rumors projects that Williams will make $7.7 million in his final year of arbitration, so on paper, the decision to decline the option was a smart one from the Brewers.
However, Williams has a 1.83 ERA in 241 appearances across parts of six seasons with the Brewers. Since the start of the 2020 season, FanGraphs says that only Emmanuel Clase has topped the 7.6 WAR that Williams has accumulated. Even if it may have made sense from an accounting sense, pinching pennies with Williams is a pretty bad look for the Brewers.
Of course, if the Brewers don't expect Williams to be back in 2025, they're less likely to be concerned with the fallout. And having Williams make a little less can only help his trade value.
Brewers general manager Matt Arnold hinted in his year-end press conference that the team might be willing to consider trade offers for Williams prior to his contract year.
"We have to stay open-minded," Arnold said, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. "We're the smallest market in the league, so that's something that's required in this."
Devin Williams, K'ing the Side.
Death by Airbenders. 🛸🛸🛸 pic.twitter.com/w5ZIL2pLbo
It's not clear exactly what it would take to acquire Williams, who is 30, from the Brewers. The Phillies would be wise to find out, though. Williams was an All-Star in both 2022 and 2023. Stress fractures in his back prevented Williams from making his 2024 debut until late-July, but he looked the part when he came back, posting a 1.25 ERA across 22 games, a period in which he converted 14 of 15 save attempts.
Williams did blow a save attempt in Game 5 of the NLWCS, surrendering a go-ahead grand slam to Pete Alonso that allowed the Mets to advance past the Brewers to face the Phillies. That's the one real blemish on his career resume to this point. That won't stop a slew of teams from being interested in his services this winter.
Whether it would be in addition to one of Hoffman or Estévez or in place of them, the Phillies' bullpen would unquestionably be improved if they added Williams as their closer this winter. With the perception from some being that the Phillies are going to largely return the same team in 2025, acquiring Williams would be a way to change up the mix in a positive way.
