Yankees GM Brian Cashman promised that the Yankees would be aggressive in bettering their team in the aftermath of losing the Juan Soto sweepstakes. It’s early, but so far, he’s been a man of his word. Just days after inking Max Fried to a lucrative contract, New York has reportedly traded for All-Star closer Devin Williams, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The return is Nestor Cortes Jr. and prospect Caleb Durbin.
The last time we saw Williams, he was leaving the field in Game 3 of the Wild Card series, having just blown the Brewers season. However, don’t let that image cloud your judgement of the 30-year-old. Simply put, Williams has been one of baseball’s best relievers for a half-decade. In fact, since the beginning of 2020, among pitchers with at least 200 innings under their belt, the only man with a lower ERA than Williams’ mark of 1.70 is Emmanuel Clase. In that same span, Williams sports a 2.24 FIP and a 40.8% strikeout rate — thanks primarily to his nasty change-up.
With Clay Holmes leaving in free agency, Williams should immediately step into the closer role in New York. The combination of his skill and the Yankees’ win expectancy should make him one of the top relievers in fantasy baseball in 2025.
On the Brewers side of the equation, keep a close eye on Cortes. The left-hander became expendable with New York’s addition of Fried, but Cortes was solid in 2024, registering a 3.77 ERA and a 3.64 xERA across 174.1 innings. Milwaukee has long made a habit of getting the most out of it’s pitchers and I don’t think Cortes will prove to be the exception.
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