The Yankees dealt from a position of strength for Devin Williams
12/14/2024 12:00 PM
The Yankees dealt from a surplus to form a dynamite late-inning duo.
The New York Yankees agreed to a rather straightforward trade, dealing from a position of strength to address a position of weakness. Well, maybe it wasn't quite as simple as that, but it is one of the easiest ways to look at the Devin Williams acquisition, coming over from Milwaukee for the services of Nestor Cortes and minor-leaguer Caleb Durbin.
A huge part of what makes this an easy deal to digest is that both Williams and Cortes are entering the final year of their contracts, and the likelihood of either signing an extension with their previous team was small. After the Max Fried signing, it'd be a little far-fetched to consider the Yankees committing a significant sum to Cortes, particularly coming off an elbow injury. The Brewers chose not to pay and traded Josh Hader a couple years ago, and they did the same with their next dynamite closer, sending Williams and his frisbee changeup to New York.
For as awesome as Luke Weaver was in any and all roles the team asked him to fill, this bullpen lacked elite talent, and Williams delivers just that. Plus, between all of last year's starters and the addition of Fried, the Yankees were dealing from an area of surplus. With Fried in tow, there just wasn't a pressing need for Cortes' skills. Cortes injury issues also complicate matters, with the Yankees unable to bank on him coming back healthy and at peak effectiveness.
When it comes to Williams' skillset, there is very little to question. This is a guy with a sub-2.00 ERA since the start of the 2022 season, striking out 221 batters in 141 innings. He's on the shortlist for best reliever in baseball, thanks to a changeup that disappears before hitters can get to it:
After Juan Soto's departure, fans may be touchy about assumptions or even expectations that a hired gun will tie his future to the club. However, even without that in mind, it'd be wise to treat this as a 2025-only move for the time being. Taking into account his back issues in 2024, Williams and the Yankees both probably want to see a healthy season before negotiating a deal, and this close to free agency, most players are eyeing the open market anyway.
As far as what to expect in 2025, firstly, there is no debate when it comes to designed roles. Williams is the guy for the ninth, and this will allow Weaver to be used in the role best suited to his skill set. As a former starter, Weaver is capable of taking over a workload that most closers aren't. Weaver handled 84 innings in the regular season last year, and Aaron Boone can continue to get creative with how he deploys Weaver now that he has a relief ace in the closer role.
Caleb Durbin, the second base prospect also sent to Milwaukee, is a piece that shouldn't be overlooked. After all, the Yankees had already added him to the 40-man roster recently after an outstanding production in the Arizona Fall League, in which he stole a record-setting 29 bags. He also stole 29 bases in Triple-A, with a .867 OPS.
With Gleyber Torres reaching the open market and none of the more senior options on the 40-man looking set to run away with the second base job (a potential Jazz Chisholm Jr. move back to second notwithstanding), Durbin had a shot. What's already a sort of thin position on the depth chart loses another option.
But the Yankees will deal with that area of need in the coming months; it's a long time until Opening Day. They had a chance to acquire a premium talent by dealing from a position of strength, and they did so by acquiring a rental closer at the cost of a rental starter. You can see why each team did it, and now, the Yankees can feel they have one of the best end-of-game units in the league.
