Yankees-Brewers Blockbuster Breakdown: Did Milwaukee Win Deal?

Who won the deal?

Apr 7, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Yankees baseball hats and gloves in the dugout out in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images | David Reginek-Imagn Images

The Milwaukee Brewers are just about halfway through the 2025 Major League Baseball season.

Milwaukee is 43-35 on the season so far. The Brewers are just three games away from the halfway point of the season and so now there has been a big enough sample size to take a look back at the team's biggest trade of the offseason. The Brewers traded All-Star closer Devin Williams to the New York Yankees in exchange for starter Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin.

Here's where things stand with each of the big pieces of the deal:

Milwaukee Brewers:

Nestor Cortes: 2 starts, 1-1 record, 9.00 ERA, 8 earned runs against, 8.0 innings pitched, 8-to-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio, -0.3 WAR

Caleb Durbin: 57 games played, 3 home runs, 25 RBIs, 6 stolen bases, 13 walks, 10 doubles, 25 runs scored, 42 total base hits, .228/.318/.332 slash line, .649 OPS, 1.1 WAR

New York Yankees

Devin Williams: 32 appearances, 2-2 record, 5.08 ERA, 16 earned runs against, 28 1/3 innings pitched, 37-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio, -0.3 WAR

Right now, it's easy to say the Brewers won the deal. Milwaukee had a serious need on the left isde of the infield and and Durbin has been a positive. Plus, he's just a 25-year-old rookie who is under team-control for years to come. Williams is a star and has looked better recently, but he will be a free agent at the end of the season. Williams and Cortes have the same WAR so far this season, so in reality, the difference is Durbin and he has upside for Milwaukee.

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