Yankees Acquire Two-Time All-Star Closer in Blockbuster Trade
The New York Yankees missed out on their top free agent target Juan Soto and have since proved that it will not stop them. After signing Max Fried to an eight-year deal just two days ago, they are now trading for two-time all-star closer Devin Williams in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. The players being sent back to the Brewers are Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin. After losing in the World Series this past season, the Yankees are determined to make big moves this offseason.
Clay Holmes started out the 2024 season struggling as the closer in New York. He had multiple blown saves and the Yankees couldn’t figure out somebody to lock down games in the late innings. Later in the season, they turned to Luke Weaver who took on the role well but didn’t necessarily provide long-term certainty. Going out and getting Devin Williams was a statement move for the Yankees. They were determined to find a closer who would be shut down material in the ninth inning and who they could always rely on.
Williams has emerged as one of the top closers in the game. When he first came into the league and won Rookie of the Year in 2020, he served as the setup man to Josh Hader for the Brewers. However, after dealing Hader to the Padres, Williams slid into the closer role and took off running with it. Last year even though he was injured for most of the year, he still had a 1.25 ERA with a 0.969 WHIP in 21.2 innings. His season unfortunately came to an end in the playoffs when he gave up a ninth-inning home run to Pete Alonso to lose the Wild Card game and send the Mets to the playoffs.
On the flip side, the move for the Brewers is rather confusing. They are trading an all-star closer when they just made the playoffs last year and were already in a rebuild mode. Unlike the trade with Hader, there is no other all-star to fall back on in the closer role. Cortes who was once an all-star pitcher back in 2022, has not looked the same the last two years. Not to mention he is also going to be a free agent after this year just like Williams. The other player part of the package, Caleb Durbin, is not even within the Yankees' top 30 prospects. To me, it felt like they could have gotten a lot more in return for such a high-value pitcher.
For the Brewers, they are going to have to commit to a player at one point or another. The last three big pitching prospects they have had in Corbin Burnes, Hader, and Williams have all been traded away. They need to start locking down their all-star players or at the very least, trading them at peak value to get the most in return. On the other hand, the Yankees are doing a great job. They are signing players to long-term deals while also bringing in guys that will help them this year. They had a devastating loss in the World Series, and they are showing they are willing to make it back by any means possible.
