Yankees Get their Closer in Deal for Devin Williams
The New York Yankees got their closer!
A mere couple of days after losing Juan Soto to the New York Mets, the Yankees have gone scorched earth ever since to try to make improvements to their roster. One of those improvements arrived on Friday afternoon when the Yankees acquired former Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams in a trade that sent lefty-starter Nestor Cortes and prospect Caleb Durbin back to Milwaukee.
The Yankees desperately need a closer. Last season Clay Holmes lost the job to Luke Weaver at mid-season. While Weaver was great at times, the truth was, somehow, the Yankees managed to get to the Fall Classic without a true shutdown ace in the ninth inning.
Now, the Yankees have that shutdown ace in place. Williams owns a 1.83 career ERA and 68 saves. He has pitched to a sub-2:00 ERA in four of his six seasons in the big leagues, including pitching to a 1.53 ERA in 65 games in 2023.
Williams was also the man who served up Pete Alonso’s three-run homer in Game 3 of the N.L. Wild Card series between the Mets and Brewers that sent New York on its merry way to the NLDS.
It is a risky gamble for the Yankees. Williams is a free agent after the 2025 season. So unless the two sides hammer out a long-term deal — if there is a mutual interest to do so — the 2025 season will be the ultimate litmus test for Williams to see how he can drive up his value at the age of 30.
As for Cortes, it’s the end of an era for the once-popular Yankees lefty, who was dubbed “Nasty Nestor” by fans, a moniker he earned back in 2022 when he was 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA. However, the last two seasons didn’t go well for Cortes. Injury and inconsistency hurt Cortes, whose ERA jumped over four. This is a chance for him to get a hard reset in a new city with a good team in the Brewers.
