Breaking: Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sends Shutdown All-Star Reliever to Yankees

Spring training is right around the corner, but the Milwaukee Brewers are open for business. After trading starting pitcher Corbin Burnes to the Baltimore Orioles, could 2023 Reliever of the Year Devin Williams be next?

 

MLB.com’s Adam McCalvey reported on February 1 that the Brewers “wouldn’t shut any conversations down at this point in the offseason” regarding players they’d be willing to trade. With that in mind, Bleacher Report’s Joel Reuter cooked up potential landing spots for Williams on February 2. One includes the right-handed hurler heading to the New York Yankees in a four-player swap. Here are the details:

• Yankees receive: right-handed pitcher Devin Williams
• Brewers receive: right-handed pitcher Will Warren, third baseman Tyler Hardman and right-handed pitcher Justin Lange

All three of these Yankee prospects were within MLB.com’s top 30 after the 2023 season. Warren was the highest at eighth overall. Hardman finished the year as New York’s 15th-ranked prospect, while the 22-year-old Lange ranked 26th.

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Williams Would Be a Massive Upgrade in Yankees’ Bullpen

Three top-30 prospects for a relief pitcher might feel like a steep price. However, there are two good reasons why the cost to acquire Williams might be this high: his performance and current contract situation.

Williams impressed during the pandemic-shorted 2020 campaign by winning NL Rookie of the Year honors. Through 27 innings, he twirled a 0.33 ERA with 53 strikeouts. That performance also gave him down-ballot Cy Young votes (he finished seventh) and MVP votes (he finished 18th). After watching his ERA rise to 2.50 through 54 innings in 2021, he’s posted two straight years with a sub-2.00 ERA.

Over his most recent 119.1 innings, Williams is 14-7 with a 1.73 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 183 strikeouts. Among relievers with 80-plus innings pitched since 2022, only two have a lower ERA than Williams. Those hurlers are Evan Phillips (1.59) and Ryan Helsley (1.69), per FanGraphs.

The Brewers’ shutdown reliever is under team control for two more years before hitting free agency, but the financial commitment is mostly set. According to Spotrac, he’s slated to earn a base salary of $7 million in 2024. There’s also a 2025 club option for $10.5 million that could escalate based on performance.

The AL East Just Got a Little Tougher in 2024

Back on January 18, Brendan Kuty of The Athletic reported that Yankees general manager Brian Cashman had shifted his offseason focus to the bullpen. New York was loosely linked to closer Josh Hader before he signed a five-year deal with the Houston Astros. The Bombers were also rumored to be interested in a reunion with either Wandy Peralta or Kenyan Middleton, both of whom pitched in the Bronx in 2023. Each hurler has recently signed elsewhere, though.

Peralta signed a four-year contract with the San Diego Padres on January 31. Middleton followed suit by agreeing to terms with the St. Louis Cardinals on February 1.

The Yankees have made noteworthy moves this offseason following a disappointing 82-80 performance in 2023. Outfielders Alex Verdugo, Trent Grisham and Juan Soto were all acquired via trades. Starting pitcher Marcus Stroman was signed as a free agent. They were already looking for another bullpen arm, but the Orioles’ recent acquisition of Burnes might put more pressure on New York to get something done.

While talking to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch on February 3, Yankees manager Aaron Boone had a straightforward reaction to Baltimore bolstering its rotation. “That could be a bit of a problem,” he said.

Aaron Boone’s reaction to the Orioles dealing for Corbin Burnes: “That could be a bit of a problem.”

Said he believes the Yankees’ rotation stacks up well against the division if healthy.

— Bryan Hoch ⚾️ (@BryanHoch) February 3, 2024

The American League East sent three teams to the 2023 postseason: the Orioles, the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays. It was already going to be a tough fight throughout the 2024 regular season. Seeing the defending division champion Orioles add an ace in Burnes makes it a little harder, though.