The New York Yankees are reportedly finalizing a trade to acquire reliever Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers. As part of the trade package, the Yankees are sending left-hander Nestor Cortes, second baseman Caleb Durbin and cash considerations to the Brewers, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.
The Yankees are now bringing in one of the top relievers available this offseason, and one of the most accomplished closers in Major League Baseball over the last five years. Williams missed much of the 2024 season after suffering a stress fracture in his back. When he returned from the injury, he posted a 1.25 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and 14 saves over 21.2 innings during the regular season.
Since making his MLB debut in 2019, Williams ranks second among all relievers with at least 200 innings pitched in ERA. He is a two-time MLB All-Star and the two-time National League Reliever of the Year. Williams even won the NL Rookie of the Year award as a reliever in 2020, making him the first reliever to win the award in nearly a decade.
The Yankees send Cortes back to the Brewers as part of the deal. Cortes, who has spent the last four seasons with the Yankees, registered a 9–10 record with a 3.77 ERA and 162 strikeouts over 30 starts in 2024.
With the Yankees reportedly agreeing to a record-breaking deal with left-handed starting pitcher Max Fried earlier this week, the Yankees appear to have deemed Cortes dispensable with Fried as their new left-handed starter. The Yankees are signing Fried to an eight-year, $218 million deal after he went 11-10 with a 3.25 ERA for the Atlanta Braves in 2024.
The Brewers will also come away with the promising infielder in Durbin from the Yankees. Over the 2024 minor league season, Durbin was promoted to Triple-A for the first time, and hit .287 with 10 home runs and 60 RBIs across 82 games. He continued to impress the Yankees when he went to the Arizona Fall League after the minor league season, where he has hit .312, five home runs, and stolen an AFL record 29 bases.
The Yankees viewed Durbin so highly that they moved him up to the 40-man roster to protect him from getting selected in the Rule 5 Draft, and manager Aaron Boone noted he was earning consideration to get promoted to the major leagues.
“He’s definitely put himself in a position to earn some serious big league consideration,” Boone said in November. “What role that is remains to be seen.”
That role and opportunity in the major leagues will now be determined by the Brewers.
