Could Trevor Megill Help Solve the Royals' Bullpen Woes in 2027?

 The Milwaukee Brewers were the best team in baseball, as evidenced by their 103-win season and first World Series title in franchise history. However, while the Brewers would like to repeat in 2027, their financial situation will likely force them to sell this offseason, especially given their pitching depth.

One trade candidate is closer Trevor Megill, the Brewers' closer a year ago and our No. 31 trade candidate at Diamondcentric. In 63 games and 61.2 IP last year, the 33-year-old righty had a 2.63 ERA, 1.85 FIP, 30 saves, and 69 strikeouts. That said, he will be a free agent after the 2027 season and seems expendable, with other options like Abner Uribe and Aaron Ashby ready to step into the closer role.

Here's what Diamondcentric said about Megill's trade candidacy:

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A fireballer with a high-riding fastball that frequently touches 100 miles per hour and a snapdragon curve, Megill saved 30 games for the eventual World Series champions and got the honor of recording the final outs of Milwaukee’s triumph over the Rays. He’s racked up 81 saves since the start of 2024 and had a career-high 61 ⅔ innings pitched in 2026. Few available relievers (even in free agency) boast a better combination of stuff and control, and those who do cost far more than Megill will make in 2027. His trade value should be significant.

Megill is likely to make $8 million in arbitration this offseason, which may be too expensive for a Milwaukee team that typically doesn't like to pay for pitching (Corbin Burnes was a prime example). Furthermore, it seems unlikely that they would re-sign Megill as a free agent next offseason, so the Brewers may prefer to get something of value back for Megill 

Obviously, the Royals would love to welcome Megill to Kansas City, even if his future is unknown after the 2027 season. However, what would Megill bring to the Royals bullpen, and what would it take to acquire him?

Let's break down those two questions and the possibility of Megill being the Royals' closer next year.

Megill Brings Stuff and Reliability to the Bullpen

The Royals bullpen was a mess in 2026, and that's putting it lightly. 

The group ranked 29th in ERA, 30th in WHIP, 28th in BB/9 and K/9, and 29th in HR/9. Kansas City lost Opening Day closer and 2025 saves leader Carlos Estevez after one outing in 2026, and Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm also struggled in high-leverage situations. Steven Cruz and Nate Pearson showed flashes in the closer role, but they'd likely be better as setup or medium-leverage arms.

Thus, Kansas City needs to be aggressive in improving the bullpen this offseason, especially if they want to improve on last season's 69-93 record. At the GM meetings, in an interview with Diamondcentric's Matthew Trueblood, Royals President of Baseball Operations JJ Picollo recognized the depth of the reliever market this offseason and that the Royals needed to take advantage.

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"...There’s plenty of depth on the reliever market right now, and really, we’re trying to approach it [as] ‘How do we put a bullpen together?’ You clearly want to get the most talented pitching that you could possibly get.

But how does it blend with what you have right now? So we’re gonna try to acquire in different ways, but there’s no shortage of talent on that free-agent market."

 

While the Royals will likely go to the free-agent market in some fashion to improve the bullpen, it may be tough to outbid other teams for high-profile relievers like Adrian Morejon and Raisel Iglesias. Thus, trading for a reliever like Megill makes a lot of sense, even if the guaranteed team control is short. 

In addition to posting excellent stats a year ago, Megill does everything a reliever should. He pumps heat, throws strikes, minimizes walks, and racks up strikeouts. While he gave up a lot of hard hits last year and didn't generate many ground balls, the rest of his Statcast profile was immaculate. 

A year ago, the Royals bullpen struggled in O-Swing%, SwStr%, and TJ Stuff+. As fans can see from the Statcast profile above, Megill ranked in the 99th percentile in O-Swing% (38.6%), 95th percentile in SwStr% (16.5%), and 100th percentile in TJ Stuff+ (116). That's a huge upgrade for the Royals at closer. 

Interestingly enough, Megill doesn't have an expansive repertoire. He only threw two pitches last year: a four-seam fastball and a knuckle curveball. That said, the stuff on those pitches was so impressive that his limited mix overwhelmed opposing hitters a season ago, as shown below in his TJ Stuff+ summary. 

In addition to a 116 overall TJ Stuff+, Megill posted a 50.7% zone rate, 38.3% chase rate, 30.6% whiff rate, and .344 xwOBACON. All those numbers were above average, as was his 6.6-ft pitch extension. With his 6'8 frame, excellent velocity, and strong extension, Megill has all the traits to succeed physically as the Royals' next closer. 

For those who need more proof of Megill's prowess, let's look at how his four-seamer and knuckle curveball looked on video.

Here's a 98-mph four-seam fastball from Megill up in the zone that Seattle's Dominic Canzone, a pretty good contact hitter, whiffed on.

Now, let's take a look at his curveball, which generated a strikeout against Miami's Joe Mack.

Not only is the movement nasty on Megill's curve, but there's also a 10-mph difference between his four-seamer and curveball. That's tough for opposing hitters, even if they know one of two pitches is coming from the 6'8 closer. 

Lastly, Megill has been durable over the past few years, with 30 saves and a 2.43 ERA in 47 IP in 2025 and 21 saves and a 2.72 ERA in 46.1 IP in 2024. Thus, the Royals wouldn't be getting a one-year wonder, but an arm that has been dependable and proven in the ninth inning for quite some time.

What Would It Take to Acquire Megill?

Because he has only one year of control left, I don't think the trade package would be terribly expensive for Megill. According to Baseball Trade Values, the 33-year-old Brewer has about 8.7 million in surplus value. That's not a crazy amount of asset value, and Kansas City could acquire him without dipping too much into their prospect pool.

One trade that I proposed was utility player Nick Loftin and relief prospect Kamden Edge for Megill. BTV approved the trade on their simulator.

Loftin has plenty of club control, as he doesn't hit arbitration until 2028 and he isn't a free agent until 2031. He's also coming off one of his best years, hitting .240 with a 98 wRC+ and 1.3 fWAR. He also hit eight home runs, collected 48 RBI, and was a Gold Glove Award finalist at third base.

The former Baylor product doesn't hit for much power or barrel a ton of balls, either. That said, he has a disciplined approach and makes contact well. Add strong defense at the hot corner, and you can see Milwaukee coveting a player like Loftin to use off the bench, especially with David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz as their only third-base options. 

Loftin is the kind of high-contact, low-exit-velocity hitter that somehow thrives in Milwaukee's culture. At the very least, Loftin is a utility guy who can move around the field. At best, he could be a candidate for the Brewers' third base in 2027. 

While BTV sees a Loftin-for-Megill swap working by the numbers, I decided to sweeten the deal by adding Kamden Edge to the package. Edge pitched 56 IP for the River Bandits in 40 games and posted a 4.02 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 4.67 FIP. While he struggled with the long ball (20% HR/FB%), he struck out batters in bunches (35.2% K%) and posted strong CSW metrics, as shown below.

I like Edge, but his zone, groundball, and home run issues worry me, despite the swing-and-miss stuff and ability. For the Brewers, he could be a nice Double-A project in 2027. That seems like a nice little addition to Loftin in a possible trade for Megill, especially since the Brewers' pitching development has such a strong reputation.

Final Thoughts On Megill

A World Series title can change things for teams. It can make "cheap" teams spend a little more, especially given the attendance boost that can follow a World Series championship. That may be the case in Milwaukee this offseason, as they seem to be "listening to offers" but not necessarily actively shopping Megill, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

That said, the Brewers didn't "eliminate" Megill from trade consideration (unlike the San Francisco Giants and Logan Webb), so they could make a deal for the right package. Would a Loftin-Edge package be enough for Milwaukee? That's hard to say right now, but it's hard to see the Brewers passing up an opportunity to improve in the short and long term in exchange for an expiring asset. 

As for the Royals, they lose some long-term value in the trade (especially with Loftin), but they need to improve the bullpen in a big and dynamic way this offseason. Megill not only plays the part on the mound with his physicality and performance, but he also brings the same energy off the field with his personality.

The Royals need that swagger again in the ninth, as they had with Estevez and his Dragon Ball Z celebration in 2025, when he led the league in saves. 

Megill has Estevez's bravado, but his stuff is significantly better. So if Kansas City can swing some kind of deal for the Brewers' closer, Picollo needs to go after it quickly, especially before the likely work stoppage on December 1st (when the current CBA expires).  

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