The New York Yankees, determined to be aggressive after missing out on Juan Soto, made another big move by acquiring two-time All-Star closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday. In exchange, the Brewers will receive veteran starter Nestor Cortés, infield prospect Caleb Durbin, and $2 million in cash. A notable aspect of the trade is that both pitchers involved in the deal struggled with key home runs in the 2024 postseason. Williams allowed a three-run homer to Pete Alonso of the Mets in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the NL wild-card series, which ended the Brewers’ hopes of advancing to the NLDS. Meanwhile, Cortés gave up a walk-off grand slam to Freddie Freeman of the Dodgers in Game 1 of the World Series.
The Brewers had originally planned to keep Devin Williams, who is set to become a free agent, at least until the trade deadline. However, they ultimately decided the offer from the Yankees was too good to pass up.
Meanwhile, the Yankees, who lost part-time closer Clay Holmes to free agency, had been in discussions with free-agent closer Tanner Scott but shifted their focus to Williams. Despite missing the first half of the 2024 season due to stress fractures in his back, Williams has accumulated 65 saves and 221 strikeouts in 141 innings over the past three years. The 2020 NL Rookie of the Year, Williams holds a 1.83 ERA across 241 career games, averaging 14.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
Nestor Cortés, who will be a free agent after the 2025 season, finished the 2024 season with a 9-10 record and a 3.77 ERA for the Yankees, pitching 174 ⅓ innings. He is now set to join the Brewers as one of their top starting pitchers.
Caleb Durbin, 24, earned the Arizona Fall League’s Breakout Prospect of the Year honor after hitting .312 and stealing 29 bases. He was recently added to the Yankees’ 40-man roster and was seen as a strong contender to make the team’s opening-day roster.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised Caleb Durbin last month, calling him “a stud.” He highlighted Durbin’s excellent bat-to-ball skills, elite baserunning ability, and strong defense at second base.
Boone also noted that over the past year, Durbin has worked on becoming more versatile, adding position flexibility to his game. He described Durbin as a highly competitive player with a tough, hard-nosed attitude.
After missing out on Juan Soto to the Mets, the Yankees have been busy making moves. They recently signed left-handed starter Max Fried to an 8-year, $218 million deal, acquired closer Devin Williams, and are in discussions with the Houston Astros to trade for outfielder Kyle Tucker.
Additionally, they are negotiating with free-agent first baseman Christian Walker. The Yankees plan to use the funds they saved by not signing Soto to address various roster needs, with the goal of making a return to the World Series.
