4 days Ago
The Milwaukee Brewers were extremely quiet throughout the offseason aside from one big trade. Milwaukee cut ties with All-Star closer Devin Williams in a trade with the New York Yankees that brought former All-Star Nestor Cortes and young infielder Caleb Durbin to town. It's far too early to truly judge this trade.
In the long run, acquiring a guy like Durbin who will be under team control for years seems like the best potential part of the deal. Williams and Cortes will both be free agents at the end of the season and there's no guarantee that either will stay with their current teams. As things stand right now, Durbin is in the minors and Cortes is on the Injured List for Milwaukee.
Williams has had a tough go to begin his Yankees career and has a 7.20 ERA in six appearances. Neither side has found success from the trade so far, although Durbin truly is the wild card.
It seems like a safe bet that Williams will turn things around and that's why this could end up being a deal that bites the Brewers. Trevor Megill -- who was fantastic last year -- took over for Williams and also has struggled this year with a 5.79 ERA in six appearances and curently is dealing with some sort of knee issue that led to an MRI recently.
We are only a few weeks into the season so at some point Cortes will return and Megill likely will be fully healthy again. Both of these guys surely can help and maybe even Durbin gets called up. But, having a closer with the upside of Williams could play a big role late in the year when playoffs are a question.
Whether the Brewers make it or are at least in contention for a spot, having a guy you don't have to worry about at that level when he's going really is great. Again, it's too early to judge this trade. In the long run the Brewers likely will make out as the winner if Durbin can make the jump to the majors.
But, in the short term, Milwaukee could end up regretting it even though Williams has struggled to begin the season. He has a 1.94 career ERA in seven seasons.
His numbers will get better soon. More MLB: Brewers Have Clear Answer If Injury Limits Flamethrower.
