Over the past two years, the Milwaukee Brewers have boasted one of the top bullpens in Major League Baseball. In 2022, they ranked second overall with a 3.11 ERA, just behind the Cleveland Guardians. In 2023, their bullpen was again among the best, finishing second with a 3.41 ERA, trailing only the New York Yankees. This strong performance has coincided with the Brewers winning the National League Central Division in both seasons.
However, a little over a week ago, Milwaukee traded two-time All-Star closer Devin Williams to the Yankees in exchange for left-handed starting pitcher Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin. While losing Williams is a significant blow to the bullpen, it’s worth noting that the Brewers didn’t have him for all of 2024 either, as he missed the early months of the season due to stress fractures in his back, as fans may recall.
Despite this, Williams remains one of the league’s top relief pitchers. As Milwaukee looks ahead to a future without him, they will need to make sure their bullpen remains as strong—if not stronger—than it was with him.
Given the Brewers’ limited budget, they will need to find some lesser-known pitchers to strengthen their bullpen. According to Patrick McAvoy of Sports Illustrated, one potential candidate is Andrew Kittredge, who pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2024. Kittredge could be an under-the-radar addition to help fill the void left by Devin Williams.
“One player who should be closely considered is former St. Louis Cardinals reliever Andrew Kittredge, McAvoy wrote. “He’s someone the Brewers likely got a good look at facing off against St. Louis in the division. The Cardinals had one of the best bullpens in baseball in general last year and Kittredge was a big reason why.”
Last season, Andrew Kittredge appeared in 74 games, posting a solid 2.80 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. His ability to handle a significant workload would be particularly appealing to the Brewers, especially after they saw Hoby Milner, who had logged the most appearances of any Milwaukee reliever over the last four seasons, sign with the Texas Rangers following his non-tender.
What makes Kittredge especially intriguing is that he isn’t a closer. Over his eight MLB seasons, he has only accumulated 16 career saves. Instead, he’s a reliable back-end reliever who could help set up Trevor Megill or whichever pitcher the Brewers select as their closer. Given his non-closer status, Kittredge would likely come at a more affordable price.
In 2021, Kittredge made his only All-Star appearance while pitching for the Tampa Bay Rays, the team he spent the first seven years of his career with. That season, he posted a remarkable 1.88 ERA and 0.98 WHIP in 57 games, striking out 77 batters over just over 71 innings. He also recorded a career-high eight saves that year.
While the Brewers have already bolstered their bullpen with some promising arms, adding Kittredge would further strengthen their depth without breaking the bank.
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