The Milwaukee Brewers currently have the best record in all of Major League Baseball, leading the NL Central by four games over the Chicago Cubs. This comes after several players that made their mark in a Brewers uniform were shipped out over the offseason to bring back young talent. The most prominent example was the trade of Devin Williams to the New York Yankees.
That trade landed the Brewers left-hander Nestor Cortes and top prospect Caleb Durbin. But it seems as though whenever the Brewers make these shrewd trades, they always end up winning them.
Such is the case with Williams. From 2022-24, he allowed just 26 earned runs with Milwaukee. He's allowed 26 earned runs this year alone.
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Brewers got the last laugh in Devin Williams trade
With the Bronx Bombers, Williams is 3-4 with a 5.44 ERA in 47 appearances. He has recorded 17 saves, but he even lost the closer's role to Luke Weaver earlier in the year.
Meanwhile, the Brewers are seemingly winning the deal, as Durbin has become a solid everyday player for them, hitting .262/.346/.369 with five home runs, 38 RBI, 10 stolen bases, 2.2 WAR and a .714 OPS. He was the big piece heading back to Milwaukee in that deal, even as the team eventually decided to cut bait with Cortes.
At the time, many thought the Brewers weren't getting enough in return for a star closer, but now it's clear they got more than enough, especially for a pitcher who is having perhaps the worst season of his career. Milwaukee has perfected the small-market strategy, dealing away stars on expiring contracts to land young talent that can help them immediately. It allows them to stay competitive without having to get into bidding wars for big names.
Williams is a two-time All-Star, former Rookie of the Year and two-time National League Reliever of the Year. But his transition to the Bronx has not been a smooth one. The Brewers seem to have gotten the better end of the deal, and unless Williams turns things around and pitches like he once did in Milwaukee, then things will stay that way.
To add insult to injury, while the Brewers have the best record in baseball, the Yankees are barely clinging to the third Wild Card spot, as they are up just a half-game on the surging Texas Rangers.
It will be interesting to see how things pan out the rest of the year, but the Brewers are certainly in a better spot than the Yankees are.