The post-Juan Soto pivot for the Yankees continued in spectacular fashion on Friday, as New York reportedly acquired two-time All-Star Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for lefty Nestor Cortes Jr. While questions about Soto’s departure from the Bronx lingered after the superstar outfielder’s introductory news conference Thursday in Queens, Brian Cashman and Co. came through in a crucial 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 last postseason: Pete Alonso’s walk-off in the decisive Game 3 of the wild-card series at Milwaukee (Williams) and Freddie Freeman’s walk-off. grand slam in Game 1 of the World Series in Los Angeles (Cortes). The heartbreaking abode was allowed under drastically different circumstances, with Williams of the world trying to get a save like countless times before, compared to the starting pitcher in Cortes, who was thrust into the highest-leverage situation of his career in rare relief. appearance 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 as they prepare to contribute to their new clubs.
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Part of what made Alonso’s home run so remarkable is that such impressive 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 respectable player who has dominated opposing lineups in high-leverage scenarios with his fantastic fastball and otherworldly changeup for more than half a decade. His control remains shaky, with a walk rate hovering around 12% per year, but few have such a disruptive combination of offerings.
Williams missed the first half of the 2024 season with a back injury, but when he returned he hardly missed a minute and was completely dominant – until Alonso’s premature home run. He immediately stepped into a ninth-inning role for New York, joining Luke Weaver as the Yankees’ bullpen starters and a key addition after the departure of Clay Holmes.
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 would be repeated for decades to come. But unlike Williams, who will be asked to secure the final game going forward, don’t expect to see Cortes trotting out of Milwaukee anytime soon. Although he finished the regular season on the injured list with a strained left elbow flexor, Cortes pitched a New York-record 174 1/3 innings in 2024 — more than any Brewers starter.
Cortes’ plus command of a deep arsenal hasn’t yielded quite as great results as we saw during his breakout All-Star campaign in 2022, but he’s posted a 3.77 ERA, which equated to a park-adjusted ERA+ of 109, comfortably above the league average. He adds a much-needed left-handed element to a Brewers rotation that was previously thought to feature exclusively righties, with Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers, Aaron Civale and Brandon Woodruff (returning from shoulder surgery) looking like Cortes’ peers in the starting lineup.
What to make of this deal for the Yankees?
It’s a wonderful follow-up for New York to the massive signing of Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million contract. The Yankees bolstered their rotation with one of the best starters in the league in Frieda 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 position group, the Yankees rightly found 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 so far sought out top talent in hopes of developing an elite pitcher who can serve as the backbone of the team’s success.
It’s also an impressive example of how player identification and development can allow teams to acquire top talent via trade without detracting from their overall roster strength. Cortes blossomed in the late 20s as a legitimate middle-rotation starter under New York’s renowned bullpen development apparatus. But with the arrival of young right-handers Clark Schmidt and Luis Gil and the addition of Fried, Cortes was replaceable for New York but still valuable to a contending club like Milwaukee.
Durbin, meanwhile, was acquired from Atlanta two winters ago in exchange for a veteran in Lucas Luetge and subsequently developed in New York’s minor league system into a prospect coveted by other teams. He seemed ready to contribute in some form to the Yankees’ infield in 2025, but he also wasn’t a sure thing as a rising rookie. That made him the perfect trade chip for a proven bullpen weapon like Williams, while the Yankees still have plenty of time to address their interior through other means.
What to make of this for the Brewers?
Milwaukee has run that playbook before, trading away star closer Josh Hader before his contract expired and dealing ace Corbin Burnes with a year remaining on his contract. While Williams is injured in 2024, the Brewers have shown they can conjure up viable high-leverage relief arms as well as any organization in baseball, and there are several candidates who could emerge as the next great Milwaukee closer in 2025. Gigantic flamethrower Trevor Megill, who quietly collected 21 hits in 2024, is the heir apparent as it stands, though he’ll have to prove he can last a full season. His 48 appearances and 46 1/3 innings in 2024 marked career highs at the big league level.
If Milwaukee were to strictly focus on shedding Williams’ salary, it would likely be a deal built around prospects and/or pre-arbitration players. However, MLB Trade Rumors projected that both Williams and Cortes will make around $7.7 million in the final year of arbitration, meaning Milwaukee’s payroll won’t change dramatically with the move. (The Yankees are reportedly sending $2 million to Milwaukee as part of the trade.) The acquisition of Cortes signals the Brewers’ intent to redistribute resources into their thin rotation and serves as a reminder that they’re still in win-now mode even as they trade away their celebrated closer. With free agency looming next winter, Cortes may only be a short-term solution, but for a team in dire need of quality innings in the bigs, the lefty could prove extremely valuable as manager Pat Murphy’s team tries to defend its NL Central crown. .
However, it is not just about exchanging the closer year for the starting year. Durbin is the third and final part of this deal—and hardly an insignificant one. The soon-to-be 25-year-old outfielder’s improbable baseball journey continues to unfold in fascinating ways, marking the second time he’s been traded since the Braves drafted him in the 14th round in 2021. Durbin is unusual in his path to pro ball, as the Chicago native played at the University of Washington in St. Louis, in a renowned program at the Division III level.
Obtaining a levy from Div. School III is rare, especially as a position player. But Durbin’s incredible ball skills (he recorded two doubles in 190 plate appearances as a junior at WashU), impressive athleticism and defensive versatility despite his size (he’s listed at 5-foot-6) have attracted scouts and analysts alike. 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 Arizona Fall League. Originally slated to slot into the Yankees’ infield, Durbin now moves to a Brewers lineup that requires some realignment after star shortstop Willy Adames left in free agency and joins Joey Ortiz and Brice Turango as promising chess pieces for Murphy , to move around the inner field.