Brewers GM eases Nestor Cortes injury concerns after Devin Williams trade
12/13/2024 08:40 PM
The Milwaukee Brewers sent shockwaves across MLB when they traded star closer Devin Williams to the New York Yankees. Inside the Brewers’ trade return was standout pitcher Nestor Cortes.
The left-hander had to miss the end of the regular season and New York’s first two postseason series due to an elbow flexor strain. However, as he prepares to join the Brewers, General Manager Matt Arnold is expecting a fully healthy Cortes, via Adam McCalvy of MLB.com.
Arnold stated that Cortes has had a fully healthy offseason. Furthermore, the GM said that Milwaukee put in plenty of leg work while going through the lefty’s medical records. Ultimately, when they signed off on the trade, the Brewers’ decision makers were confident Cortes will be ready to be a full-time difference maker in 2025.
Outside of one-year stops with the Baltimore Orioles and Seattle Mariners, Cortes has spent six of his seven major league seasons with the Yankees. In that time, he has recorded a 33-20 record with a 3.61 ERA and a 575/160 K/BB ratio. He was named an All-Star for the first and to this point only time in his career in 2022, when he posted a 12-4 record, 2.44 ERA and 163/38 K/BB ratio.
Even with all his late season injuries, Nestor Cortes still appeared in 31 games for the Yankees in 2024. He pitched to a 9-10 record, 3.77 ERA and 162/39 K/BB ratio over a career-high 174.1 innings pitched.
With Freddy Peralta atop their rotation, Milwaukee finished fifth in ERA (3.65) during the 2024 season. However, Brandon Woodruff is still dealing with a worrying injury. Furthermore, the Brewers will have no problem building on a position of strength as long as the Chicago Cubs are making a push.
While Milwaukee had to losing Devin Williams to make the deal happen, it seemed inevitable. He is set to be a free agent after the 2025 campaign and earn a big contract.
Despite losing their closer, the Brewers are still the defending NL Central champions. With a healthy Cortes, Arnold is confident Milwaukee can run it back.
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