Devin Williams trade grades: Who won the Yankees and Brewers deal?

We have ourselves a fairly big MLB trade! On Friday!

The New York Yankees haven’t let losing out on Juan Soto stop them from tinkering with their World Series roster. And the Milwaukee Brewers want to keep the winning going after losing in the Wild Card last season.

Which brings us to this deal involving stud Brewers closer Devin Williams and a Yankees team that desperately needed a bullpen arm to close things out. This is intriguing stuff.

Who won this deal? That’s what we’re here to do, as always. Here are trade grades for both sides with the news breaking on Friday:

Yankees and Brewers trade details:

Yankees get: RHP Devin Williams

Brewers get: LHP Nestor Cortes, infielder Caleb Durbin

Yankees grade

This is fairly straightforward. Williams is an elite closer who is turning 31 next September. The Yankees needed a dependable closer after what we saw last season and postseason, even in the run to the World Series.

So they acquired Williams for a relatively low cost — Cortes wasn’t that great in 2024 after struggles in 2023, and we saw that in the postseason. Durbin isn’t a top prospect, although dude has some speed.

It’s a move you make if you’re a contender. Simple.

GRADE: A-minus

Brewers grade

You read all of that above and think the Brewers got hosed in this deal, right? But, no.

You see, they were never going to sign Williams to a long-term deal, which is a good idea even when you’re talking about an elite bullpen arm like him.

So they got Cortes — who, despite some struggles, has shown flashes of being a solid rotation pitcher — and a prospect. A good return for a player they weren’t going to keep!

That earns a decent grade, especially when we saw the Brewers had some names who could make up for Williams’ absence last season.

GRADE: B