The bullpen became a strength again for the Brewers in 2025, and around Trevor McGill led the way with 30 saves, a 2.49 ERA over 49 innings, and an All-Star nod. With Megill holding the ninth spot for the past two seasons, however, manager Pat Murphy has been noncommittal on the topic of who will be his closer in 2026.
“I feel like we’ll look at the matchups and see what’s best. We will check the health of the jar. You might see some guys in that mix too,” Murphy told Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. While noting it’s too early in Spring Training for decisions like these, Murphy elaborated on the committee’s approach by saying “I mean, that’s like a message to the entire Milwaukee Brewers team, right? You have to be extraordinary. That is a strange idea that we can weave the needle the way we want.”
Megill’s status might have been more secure had it not been for a hamstring strain that sent him to the injured list late last August. Megill was sidelined for a little more than a month and was able to return for one regular season game before the season started, along with five playoff appearances. Megill had a 2.25 ERA in his four postseason innings, but as Rosiak noted, the Brewers used him in non-closing roles. This includes Megill’s perfect inning as the opener in Game 5 of the NLDS series. which ended up winning the Brewers 3-1 against the Cubs.
While Megill was at IL, his hard-throwing partner Abner Uribe came in to record five saves as the inning came to a close, adding to Uribe’s resume with an outstanding season. Uribe posted a 1.67 ERA, 53.2% slugging rate, 30.2% strikeout rate, and 9.1% strikeout rate over 75 1/3 innings and 75 appearances. In comparison, Megill had a 2.49 ERA, a 39.3% slugging percentage, 31.3K%, and 8.9BB% across his 47 frames, and SIERA had two pitchers that were nearly equal – Uribe with 2.89 and Megill with 2.93.
Uribe’s 75 appearances are tied for the seventh most by any pitcher in 2025. This consistency could mean that Megill ends up closing more games, if Milwaukee returns to Uribe as the most used reliever in all types of power-ups or setup situations. The Brewers’ proposed bullpen is unusually heavy on left-handed pitchers, so the right-handed Uribe and Megill could be used in the best high-ball situations, with a southpaw like Jared Koenig or Angel Zerpa planted to lock the ninth.
As of last week, Megill said he had not heard anything about his role in the upcoming season. When he felt “I think we can roll the same way we rolled last year,” Megill insisted he is happy in any job the Brewers see fit, and praised his partnership with friend Uribe as “great and powerful.” On the health front, Megill added that he had a PRP injection during the offseason to help deal with his right flexion.
The big picture aspect of the bullpen system is that Uribe may now be considered Milwaukee’s long-term closer to the future, if not the present. Uribe does not turn 26 until June and is under club control through the 2030 season. Megill is entering his age-32 season and has one year of arbitration eligibility left before he hits free agency following the 2027 campaign.
Megill and the Brewers avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $4.7MM salary for the 2026 season. That’s a healthy raise over the $1.94MM Megill earned in 2024, and shows how savings totals can quickly increase a pitcher’s earning potential. Umpiring panels favor basic statistical metrics like wins, strikeouts, or (in the case of a reliever) saves over advanced metrics, so consistent ninth-inning work often leads to big paydays during near-arb years.
The Brewers could be looking to limit Megill’s 2027 salary potential by reducing his cap hit in 2026, or it’s possible that Megill’s future salary could be an issue for another team. The Brewers tend to trade high-paid players as they approach free agency, including former closers such as Josh Hader again Devin Williams. Megill’s first taste of shutdown work came in 2024 when Williams was sidelined with a stress fracture in his back, and while Milwaukee would likely have traded Williams through the 2024-25 season, Megill’s success as a shortstop made the front office’s decision easier.
Megill has been involved in some of his own trade rumors this winter, as teams like the Yankees and Mets were reportedly interested in acquiring the right-hander. It’s not entirely out of the question that Megill is still being dealt, which may be why the Brewers have been hesitant to name the closer. Although Opening Day is still more than a month away, however, the fact that camp has already begun likely reduces the possibility of a Megill trade. Approaching Spring Training is a lot different than approaching the trade deadline a la the Hader deal in 2022, but since trading Hader dramatically disrupted the Brewers’ chemistry, the team is certainly very sensitive about how such a transaction could shake up the clubhouse.
For Megill, he took the trade speculation lightly, saying “People are always calling to see what’s going on. I’m sure they still do. But just knowing what the team is like and the intimacy cycle here, you just see it as a business and it can happen at any time. You just have to be okay with that and be a good partner until it happens.”
