The New York Yankees announced that they have acquired two-time All-Star and two-time National League Reliever of the Year Award winner RHP Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for LHP Nestor Cortes, INF Caleb Durbin and cash considerations.
Williams, 30, went 1-0 with 14 saves and a 1.25 ERA (21.2IP, 10H, 3R/ER, 11BB, 38K, 1HR) in 22 relief appearances with the Brewers in 2024 after missing the first 104 games of the season on the injured list with a back stress fracture. Among Major League pitchers that tossed at least 20.0 innings from the time Williams was reinstated from the injured list (July 28) to the end of the regular season, he ranked second in strikeout rate (43.2%, second in NL), third in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (15.78, third in NL), tied for fourth in saves (second in NL) and 10th in opponents’ batting average (.133, seventh in NL).
His 14 saves from Aug. 10 to the end of the regular season were tied with Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase for the most in the Majors.
In six Major League seasons with the Brewers (2019-24), the right-hander has gone 27-10 with 68 saves, a 1.83 ERA (235.2IP, 129H, 63R/48ER, 112BB, 375K, 15HR) and a .157/.266/.247 (129-for-823) opponents’ slash line in 241 career relief appearances. Since 2020, Williams leads Major League relievers in opponents’ batting average (.145) and opponents’ slugging percentage (.227), ranks second in ERA (1.70), strikeout rate (40.8%), strikeouts per 9.0 innings (14.64) and opponents’ OPS (.483), sixth in save percentage (87.2%), seventh in opponents’ on-base percentage (.256) and eighth in WHIP (0.98).
Over the last three seasons (since 2022), Williams has not allowed a run in 130 of his 148 relief appearances. His 1.66 ERA over that stretch is the best among Major League relievers.
In 2023, Williams was named the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year after going 8-3 with 36 saves, a 1.53 ERA (58.2IP, 10ER) and 87 strikeouts in 61 relief appearances for Milwaukee. He also won the award in 2020, along with being named the National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year.
Since 2023, Williams has held opponents to a .078/.280/.156 (5-for-64) slash line with runners in scoring position.
The St. Louis, Mo., native was originally selected by Milwaukee in the second round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft.
Cortes, 30, has gone 33-21 with a 3.80 ERA (568.0IP, 248H, 248R/240ER, 160BB, 575K, 89HR) in 135 career games (86 starts) over parts of seven Major League seasons with the Baltimore Orioles (2018), Yankees (2019, ‘21-24) and Seattle Mariners (2020). The left-hander went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA (174.1IP, 162H, 74R/73ER, 39BB, 162K, 24HR) in 31 games (30 starts) with the Yankees in 2024. Cortes was originally selected by the Yankees in the 36th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. He was signed by the Yankees as a Minor League free agent on Dec. 10, 2020.
Durbin, 24, has batted .269/.374/.407 (276-for-1,026) with 187R, 64 doubles, six triples, 22HR, 153RBI, 134BB and 110SB in 281 career Minor League games over parts of four Minor League seasons in the Braves (2021-22) and Yankees (2023-24) organizations. In 2024, the infielder batted .275/.388/.451 (92-for-335) with 61R, 25 doubles, two triples, 10HR, 60RBI, 53BB and 31SB in 90 combined games with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Single-A Tampa and Double-A Somerset. The Evanston, Ill., native was originally selected by the Braves in the 14th round of the 2021 First-Year Player Draft out of Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.). Durbin was acquired by the Yankees from the Atlanta Braves along with RHP Indigo Diaz in exchange for LHP Lucas Luetge on Dec. 28, 2022.