Red Sox Trade Targets: Devin Williams, The Best Reliever In The National League

Somewhat forgotten with the talk of adding a top-of-the-rotation arm and a power first right-handed hitter, the Boston Red Sox need a closer. Kenley Jansen departed in free agency and is almost guaranteed not to return to Boston. A reunion with Chris Martin seems possible, but trusting him to close out games across a full season seems like a tall task. I’ve already written about internal candidates for the closer role and still believe any of them stand a chance to take it.

Still, with recent news out of Milwaukee that the Brewers declined the option on Devin Williams, it caused me to start wondering what a trade for him would look like. The Brewers have a history of this; just look at free agent Corbin Burnes. They’ve recently even gone on record saying they have no plans to trade Williams, but that doesn’t mean much in modern-day baseball. At one point, they had no interest in trading Burnes or Josh Hader before him. With that in mind, let’s look at what a potential trade for Williams could cost the Red Sox. 

I contacted some colleagues from Brewer Fanatic to see what they thought a fair return for someone of Devin Williams' caliber would be. The general consensus was that a high-ceiling pitcher with a decent mix of fastballs would have to be included in the deal. Enter Luis Guerrero. Guerrero features one main fastball, a four-seamer that tops out at 100mph, but has also thrown a cutter and a sinker. He spent most of this season in Worcester, where he posted a 5-3 record, 3.31 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and 13.09 K/9. After his call-up in September, he appeared in nine games out of the bullpen, sporting a 0.00 ERA, .80 WHIP, and 8.10 K/9, opening the eyes of fans everywhere. He profiles as a middle-inning reliever, but his ceiling is that of a high-leverage, back-end reliever. Losing out on Williams could cause the Brewers to look at Guerrero as a potential replacement for some of what would be walking out the door with Williams. 

Rarely are trading for MLB-caliber pitchers a one-for-one deal. With the likely departure of Willy Adames in free agency, the Brewers will want to add someone who could potentially end spring training at Triple-A, knocking on the door to the majors. While Mikey Romero isn’t the perfect answer there, he makes the most sense from Boston’s side. He surged this season at Greenville, earning a promotion to Portland. Combined, Romero slashed .265/.813/.508. He committed 11 errors on the season, posting a .948 FLD%. He’s solid at shortstop and second base, making highlight reel-style plays at both. Romero could easily be fast-tracked to the major leagues as long as he continues to improve at the current rate; the Brewers could be incredibly interested in adding his services. 

The trade for Devin Williams would undoubtedly bolster the back of the Red Sox’s bullpen, and giving up any of the “Big Four” for a rental of Williams isn’t smart for the organization's future. Still, a reliever like Guerrero, who projects to be a high-leverage arm, and someone blocked at all levels of the organization like Romero makes a ton of sense. The Red Sox would likely have to include a compensatory draft pick as well, but that would be far easier to stomach should Nick Pivetta turn down the Qualifying Offer and sign elsewhere as he’s now expected to. The Red Sox look like they are primed to make a splash in free agency, so why not also make a huge splash in the trade market?