So much for the Yankees spending all offseason trying to replace Juan Soto.
They initially responded at the Winter Meetings by handing Max Fried the largest contract ever given to a left-handed pitcher, creating one of the strongest rotations in all of baseball.
Now, they're reinforcing a relief corps that lost a number of talented arms this offseason, including former closer Clay Holmes (also to the Mets). According to multiple reports, the Yankees have traded for Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams.
BREAKING: The New York Yankees are finalizing a trade to acquire closer Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 13, 2024
Williams is coming off yet another brilliant season, though one in which he only threw 21 2/3 innings after missing the first four months of the campaign with a stress fracture in his back. His ERA has been below 2.00 in three consecutive seasons, and he's tallied 68 saves in that same timeframe.
The Yankees paid a steep price to acquire the relief ace, surrendering lefty starter Nestor Cortes and well-regarded infield prospect Caleb Durbin to complete the swap.
Second baseman Caleb Durbin is also headed to the Milwaukee Brewers along with Nestor Cortes in the Devin Williams deal, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 13, 2024
Yankees leaning into pitching-first approach minus Soto
The Yankees were never going to be able to replace Soto, even with a number of talented free agents still available. There's a reason he signed the largest contact in baseball history.
What was unclear following that shocking announcement was how the Yankees planned to pivot in their offseason plans. Were they going to double-down on improving their offense, signing guys like Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman to fill open roster holes? Or would they swerve around to a top-heavy pitching market and try to build on a pre-existing strength?
There's still plenty of time remaining this winter for the Yanks to have a more well-rounded transaction log, but the Williams trade is further proof that the Bronx Bombers are planning on playing a different brand of baseball in 2025.
Cortes was the obvious odd man out in the Yankees' loaded rotation plans. Fried, Gerrit Cole, Luis Gil, and Carlos Ródon are as stingy a top-four as any in baseball, and Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt should have a hearty competition for the No. 5 job in spring training.
Williams will immediately be inserted into the closer role in New York, with breakout 2024 reliever Luke Weaver taking on a high-leverage set-up role in manager Aaron Boone's bullpen.
Notably, Williams, like Cortes, will be a free agent after the 2025 season. It's hard to believe the Yankees would give up Durbin — one of the favorites to replace Gleyber Torres at second base next season — without having an extension lined up, but there's no news to report on that front just yet.
Regardless, the Yankees now have one of the most lethal pitching staffs in the American League. They may find it hard to score runs sans Soto, but their opponents will find the same to be true going up against Fried, Cole, and Williams.