2 weeks Ago
DALLAS — As Brian Cashman broke down the state of the Yankees ’ roster on Monday, speaking to reporters about the departure of Juan Soto to the Mets in free agency, the general manager acknowledged that his bullpen is an unfinished product. “Clearly, we have some vacancies there,” Cashman said, alluding to the acquisition of reinforcements this offseason. High-leverage relievers are on the Yankees’ shopping list, that’s for sure.
Clay Holmes has already picked a new team in free agency — he’s also headed to the Mets — and the Yankees could lose Tim Hill, Tommy Kahnle and Jonathan Loáisiga on the open market as well. In that sense, a closer is the only part of the back end of their bullpen that can be penciled in on the depth chart right now. Luke Weaver pitched well enough in that role at the end of this past season to keep saving ballgames next spring.
But the Yankees can’t be in the business of being complacent. After losing Soto, they’re hungry for upgrades on every part of their roster, even if it’s already a strength. That’s enough to justify the Yankees’ interest in trading for Brewers closer Devin Williams, an elite right-handed reliever who could be moved this winter.
A report from The Athletic on Monday night mentioned the Yankees as one of “at least 10 teams” contacting the Brewers about their closer’s availability. The Dodgers, Royals, Tigers and Angels were also singled out as teams expressing interest. Williams, 30, is entering his final year under team control before hitting free agency.
He’s projected to earn $7.7 million in 2025, per MLB Trade Rumors . Despite a truncated season with only 22 appearances in 2024 due to a back injury, Williams is still considered one of the best relievers in the game.
He’s a two-time All-Star and two-time winner of the Trevor Hoffman Award as the National League’s top reliever with a 1.83 ERA over parts of six MLB seasons. This isn’t a slam dunk that the Brewers will trade Williams.
At the very least, they could wait until the trade deadline next summer to see if they are slipping out of the playoff picture in the National League Central, capitalizing on some value knowing that Williams will be hitting the open market in free agency next winter. If they want to get the most back for the righty, however, trading him this offseason is their best bet. It’s exactly what the Brewers did last year with ace Corbin Burnes, getting a few talented pieces back from the Orioles in exchange for a full season of the top-shelf starter.
As Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon note in The Athletic’s report, Milwaukee is operating with little payroll flexibility. Trading Williams away would save them some money — knowing he’s unlikely to re-sign after next season — while also giving them a chance to address other positions of need in the deal. The Yankees have money to spend after Soto turned down their offer and went to the Mets, so they can invest in pitching on the open market.
Late-inning relievers like Tanner Scott and Jeff Hoffman are available in free agency. Getting Williams, on the other hand, would require prospect capital. That would allow them to focus on paying to address other needs, like a starting pitcher, first baseman, third baseman and outfielder.
Acquiring a pitcher of Williams’ caliber would allow the Yankees to move Weaver back into a multi-inning relief role. He could still close games, but manager Aaron Boone would be able to deploy Weaver aggressively, knowing he can roll with the right-hander for multiple frames, perhaps even more than a full turn through the lineup. The deciding factor, if Milwaukee is truly ready to part with Williams this winter, will be whether the Yankees are willing to offer up enough to get the closer.
Remember what the Padres gave up to get Scott at the trade deadline this past summer? That was for only a few months of his services. This would be for a full season. The market for elite relievers has never been higher, meaning the Brewers will want an attractive package back from the Yankees.
What would they be comfortable parting with for one guaranteed season, like the Soto move with San Diego last winter? Another caveat here is the Yankees’ ability to bring the best out of all kinds of relievers. They have a knack for finding hidden gems, turning another team’s scraps into cost-effective success stories in pinstripes. Keeping that in mind, perhaps they don’t need to burn top-level prospects to get a pitcher like Williams.
They can simply use Weaver as their closer and focus on, say, bringing Hill back in free agency while pinpointing their next reclamation project. The likes of Mark Leiter Jr., Ian Hamilton, Jake Cousins and Scott Effross are some of the returnees in the bullpen that have big-league experience.
A chance to add a late-inning reliever like Williams should be considered, though. Depending on how the next few days and weeks play out, a trade could be their best way to upgrade to this extent in the bullpen. But if the Yankees also elect to invest prospects in a deal for a bat this winter — like Cody Bellinger to play center field or a first baseman like Yandy Diaz or Josh Naylor — then they’d be sacrificing quite a few prospects.
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