Brewers' payroll constraints could result in Guardians acquiring shutdown reliever

While the Guardians’ front office has become one of baseball’s best at building a team that’s competitive year after year, they’ve had to do so while navigating one of the tightest payrolls in all of baseball. 

They’re not the only team in baseball that has to do that, however. For every team that spends money like the Yankees or Dodgers, there’s a team like the Guardians or, in the case of the National League, the Brewers. 

In 2025 the Brewers won their third straight American League Central title and made it all the way to the National League Championship Series despite having serious financial constraints around their team-building process (even if their payroll of $137 million was actually quite high compared to years prior).

It looks like that theme is going to play out in their offseason plans as well, as The Athletic’s Katie Woo, Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal reported earlier this week that the Brewers are “fretting” over payroll and may need to subtract from their roster. 

According to the trio of Woo, Sammon and Rosenthal, one of the players who could be subtracted is reliever Trevor Megill, who is coming off a solid season at the back of the Brewers’ bullpen. 

And, with a projected salary of just $4.2 million through arbitration, Megill would be an affordable option for the Guardians’ bullpen. Don’t worry, the Guardians acquiring a player who was deemed “too expensive” for another team isn’t lost on us either. 

Trevor Megill could fall right into the Guardians’ lap

Megill, 31, made his MLB debut in 2021 with the Cubs and spent that season in Chicago before playing for the Twins in 2022. He joined the Brewers in 2023 and has been pitching there since. 

He broke out in 2024 when he took over as Milwaukee’s full-time closer due to injuries to Devin Williams before spending entering the 2025 as the Brewers’ closer after Williams was traded to the Yankees. He has a 2.60 ERA with 51 saves in 93 1/3 innings over the past two seasons. 

He missed more than a month at the end of the season with a right flexor strain, but managed to return at the end of the season and made five appearances in the postseason. 

Megill obviously wouldn’t become the Guardians’ closer thanks to the presence of Cade Smith, but he’d immediately rise to the top of the trust tree along with Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski.

But all of this buzz doesn’t mean that he’s a lock to get moved, however. The Brewers had a bit of a wrench thrown in their offseason plans when Brandon Woodruff accepted the $22.025 million qualifying offer, as everyone expected him to opt out in search of a multi-year deal. 

The Brewers have another big trade chip in the form of Freddy Peralta (who is making just $8 million next season), but a trade of Megill also seems like an option. 

Chris Antonetti has already said the Guardians are going to look to add external additions to their bullpen, and Megill stands out as an exciting option who should be at the top of Cleveland’s wishlist if he is in fact available.