Yankees' Devin Williams trade a win-win despite high price tag

The New York Yankees may have missed out on Juan Soto, but their latest move should help prove to fans that they're eager to keep contending next season.

According to ESPN's Jorge Castillo, New York traded for Brewers closer Devin Williams on Friday. Milwaukee got starting pitcher Nestor Cortes, infield prospect Caleb Durbin, and cash considerations back, in a move that should have both fan bases happy.

Williams has emerged as one of the best relievers in baseball over the last five years; he has a 1.89 career ERA in 97 appearances, with 68 saves. He missed the first four months of the season with a back injury, but was dominant upon his July return, posting a 1.25 ERA and 14 saves in 22 appearances for Milwaukeee.

The Yankees were in dire need of help at the back end of their bullpen; Clay Holmes left the team in free agency, and Tommy Kahnle could also head out of the Bronx as well. Williams is not only a stabilizing force closing games, he's arguably a significant upgrade over either Holmes or Kahnle. He struggled in the postseason, but the Yankees have a knack for figuring those sorts of things out when it comes to relievers. Ultimately, this is a massive upgrade for them.

Cortes was a steep price for the Yankees to pay to get Williams, but not one that should have a massive impact next season. The 30-year-old wasn't the elite pitcher he was a couple seasons ago, but he was a solid, reliable starter last season, going 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA. But in a rotation with Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Marcus Stroman, Carlos Rodon, Luis Gil, and Clarke Schmidt all competing for spots, it was clear that Cortes was surplus to requirements, so it wasn't a huge deal for New York to lose him

Milwaukee, on the other hand, absolutely needed rotation help. Their starters were solid, but unspectacular last season, and Cortes slides in easily as a number three or four starter behind Freddy Peralta, Tobias Walters and Colin Rea at the top of the rotation. He's unlikely to be the dominant force he was in 2022 again, but if he can be a solid source of innings where he's not an active liability, he's an upgrade on what the Brewers had at the back end of the rotation last year.

On top of that, Milwaukee has a built-in contingency plan for Williams departure in Trevor Megill. The 31-year-old righty was effective in the closer role last season when Williams was on the IL, and is a logical choice to take up that mantle full-time now.

Ultimately, this was a logical move for both teams, giving up something they had in abundance to bolster an area that needed help. Yankees fans will understandably be more excited by the move than Brewers fans, but this is a deal that helps everyone stay competitive now.

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Yankees' Devin Williams-Nestor Cortes trade a win-win despite high price tag

By Sam Westmoreland | 2:37 PM EST