The Brewers had a very solid 2023 season, winning a usually very talented NL Central. They won 92 games but lost in the first round to the NL Pennant winning Arizona Diamondbacks. They have some pretty talented players on their roster, but with Craig Counsel moving to division rival, Chicago Cubs, as well as some arbitration guys getting pretty expensive, this team seems to be looking to sort of reset. Let's look at 4 Brewers and examine their fit with the Mariners.
Mariners First Target: Devin Williams
The Mariners traded Paul Sewald at the deadline and I felt like they really missed him. Adding another high-leverage reliever to this bullpen should be a priority. There are quite a few solid free agents like Reynaldo Lopez, Robert Stephenson, or Matt Moore, but none of them are as good as Devin Williams. Williams is, without a doubt, the best fit for the Mariners, from the Brewers.
Williams immediately becomes this bullpen's best arm. He has a career 1.89 ERA with a 14.2 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9. He has gotten better every year improving in most categories. Relievers can be volatile, but Williams has been consistently one of the best relievers in baseball. Williams is under control through 2025, but is projected to earn only $6 million in 2023, which is an absolute steal for him.
If the Mariners were to trade for WIlliams, it would hurt. The Mariners traded Sewald, who had the same amount of control, but was not on the same level as Williams, and received an older prospect that hit everywhere, a solid, but struggling middle infielder, and a solid middle infield prospect close to the bigs.
I don't know if the Brewers would want the same type of package, or if they value prospects more, but it will be expensive. I would guess it would cost the Mariners something along the lines up Gabriel Gonzalez, Michael Arroyo, and maybe a pitcher like Michael Morales. I don't see the Mariners trading Cole Young here and I don't see the Mariners swapping a pitcher like Miller or Woo, with 5 or 6 years of control for a reliever with 2 years, but if the Brewers were to send over more on top of Williams, then maybe.