The post-Juan Soto pivot for the Yankees unfolded in spectacular fashion on Friday, as New York reportedly acquired two-time All-Star Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. and infield prospect Caleb Durbin. As questions about Soto’s departure from the Bronx lingered after the superstar outfielder’s introductory press conference on Thursday in Queens, Brian Cashman and Co. plowed ahead. through a pivotal winter for the storied franchise and successfully landed one of the biggest names on the trade market in Williams. .
Cortes and Williams share the unfortunate distinction of allowing two of the more memorable home runs of the past postseason: Pete Alonso’s go-ahead goal in the deciding Game 3 of the wild-card series in Milwaukee (Williams) and Freddie Freeman’s walk-off grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series in Los Angeles (Cortes). The heartbreaking home runs were allowed under drastically different circumstances, with all-world closer Williams attempting to pull off a save like countless times before, compared to a starting pitcher in Cortes in rare relief in the highest-leverage situation was pushed out of his career. performance after an elbow injury sidelined him for several weeks.
While both pitchers’ seasons ended on a sour note, those flashy moments shouldn’t cloud our perception of them as they prepare to contribute to their new clubs.
Part of the reason why Alonso’s home run was so remarkable is that such impactful swings against Williams have been exceedingly rare over the course of the right-hander’s career. His career 1.83 ERA and .157 batting average paint an accurate picture of a venerable game-ender who has dominated opposing lineups in high-leverage scenarios with his fantastic fastball and otherworldly changeups for more than half a decade. His control remains shaky, with walk rates hovering around 12% annually, but few relievers have such an overwhelming combination of offerings.
Williams missed the first half of the 2024 season due to a back injury, but barely missed a beat upon return and was extremely dominant throughout – until Alonso’s untimely home run. He immediately steps into the ninth-inning role for New York, joining Luke Weaver as the Yankees’ bullpen arm of choice and representing a crucial addition in the wake of Clay Holmes’ departure.
As if Alonso’s homer off Williams wasn’t dramatic enough, Cortes’ low point against Freeman in the 10th inning of World Series Game 1 will be replayed for decades. But unlike Williams, who will be asked to secure the final outs of the game, don’t expect Cortes to trot in from the Milwaukee bullpen anytime soon. Although he finished the regular season on the injured list due to a left elbow strain, Cortes logged a career-high 174 1/3 innings for New York in 2024 – more than any Brewers starting pitcher.
Cortes’ plus command of a deep arsenal didn’t produce as good results as we saw during his breakout All-Star campaign in 2022, but he posted a 3.77 ERA, which amounted to a park-adjusted 109 ERA+, well above the competition average. He adds a much-needed left-handed element to a Brewers rotation that previously would have featured only right-handers, with Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers, Aaron Civale and Brandon Woodruff (returning from shoulder surgery) looking like Cortes’ colleagues on the starting staff.
What do you think of this deal for the Yankees?
For New York, this is a great follow-up to the massive signing of Max Fried to an eight-year deal worth $218 million. The Yankees bolstered their rotation with one of the best left-handed starters in the league in Fried and now bolster their bullpen with one of the best closers in baseball in Williams. While there is still a lot of work to be done to address the group of position players, the Yankees have rightly determined that replacing Soto’s impact on the offense would be difficult, if not impossible, given the options available and Soto’s unique skill set. Instead, they have thus far pursued top talent on the mound in hopes of building an elite pitching staff that can serve as the backbone of the team’s success.
This is also an impressive example of how player identification and development can allow teams to acquire top talent via trade without hampering the overall strength of their roster. Cortes blossomed as a legitimate mid-rotation starter in his late 20s under the tutelage of New York’s famed pitching development apparatus. But after the emergence of young right-handers Clarke Schmidt and Luis Gil, plus the addition of Fried, Cortes was expendable for New York, yet valuable to a contending club like Milwaukee.
Durbin, meanwhile, was acquired from Atlanta two winters ago in exchange for a veteran reliever in Lucas Luetge and subsequently developed in New York’s minor league system into a talent highly coveted by other teams. He seemed poised to contribute to the Yankees infield in some form in 2025, but he wasn’t a sure thing as a rising rookie either. That made him an ideal trade chip in a deal for a proven bullpen weapon like Williams, while the Yankees still have plenty of time to address their infield in other ways.
What should we make of this for the Brewers?
Milwaukee has run this playbook before, trading away star closer Josh Hader before the end of his contract and dealing top prospect Corbin Burnes with one year left on his contract. While Williams was injured in 2024, the Brewers have shown they can churn out viable, high-leverage utility weapons just like any other organization in baseball, and there are several candidates who could emerge in 2025 as the next great Milwaukee closer . Giant flamethrower Trevor Megill, who quietly collected 21 saves in 2024, is the heir apparent as things stand, though he’ll have to prove he can keep it going for a full season. His 48 appearances and 46 1/3 innings in 2024 both marked career highs at the big league level.
Had Milwaukee focused strictly on shedding Williams’ salary, this likely would have been a deal built around prospects and/or pre-arbitration players. But MLB Trade Rumors projected that both Williams and Cortes would earn around $7.7 million in their final year of arbitration, meaning Milwaukee’s payroll won’t change dramatically with this move. (The Yankees are reportedly sending $2 million to Milwaukee as part of the trade.) Acquiring Cortes signals the Brewers’ intent to allocate resources to their thin rotation and reminds us that they’re still in the win-now mode, despite trading away their celebrated closing event. With free agency looming next winter, Cortes could only be a short-term solution, but for a team in dire need of quality innings, the left-hander could prove immensely valuable as manager Pat Murphy’s side attempt to win the NL Central crown to defend. .
However, it is not just about exchanging a year-closer for a year-starter. Durbin is the third and final part of this deal – and not an unimportant one at that. The soon-to-be 25-year-old infielder’s unlikely baseball journey continues to unfold in fascinating ways, with this being the second time he’s been traded since the Braves drafted him in the 2021 14th round. What makes Durbin unusual is his path led to pro ball, when the Chicago native played collegiately at Washington University in St. Louis, a renowned program at the Division III level.
Being called up from a Div. III school is rare, especially as a position player. But Durbin’s uncanny bat-to-ball skills (he struck out twice in 190 plate appearances as a junior at WashU), impressive athleticism and defensive versatility despite his size (he’s listed at 6-foot-4) attracted scouts and analysts. consider him a viable prospect. Since then, he has continued to perform at a high level at every stop in the minor leagues, most recently as a breakout star in the promising Arizona Fall League. Previously slated to be part of the Yankees’ infield, Durbin now switches to a Brewers team that will require some realignment after star shortstop Willy Adames left in free agency and will join Joey Ortiz and Brice Turang as promising chess pieces for Murphy to move through the infield.
