The New York Yankees' daring swap of infield prospect Caleb Durbin and left-hander Nestor Cortes Jr. for Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams is looking a little bit more like a good baseball trade these days.
Williams, demoted to the eighth inning after earning his way back into high leverage, has been dominant lately (in every non-rain-soaked game) and even managed to conquer his Pete Alonso fears with two buzzsaws in a three-game series. And, while Cortes Jr. is down for the count, Durbin has come into his own, showing off his unique blend of peskiness and speed.
He also just so happens to be exactly what the Yankees need after losing Oswaldo Cabrera ... but they also desperately need reliable bullpen arms, so ... they ... kind of need both halves of the trade, making it ... a fantastic trade? My brain's tied, I need a smoothie.
Whether the Yankees got what they wanted or gave away something they didn't know they needed is yet to be determined. What we do know is that Durbin has a very particular set of skills, and he showed off his best attribute by never stopping for even one second, scoring from second on a ground ball to first base that bedeviled the Orioles.
CALEB DURBIN SPEED DEMON 😈
— Milwaukee Brewers (@Brewers) May 21, 2025
(He scored from second on this 🤯) pic.twitter.com/0O2fHx7hiu
Yankees' Devin Williams-Caleb Durbin (and Nestor Cortes Jr.) trade continues to heat up with recent highlights
And, with two outs and two strikes in the ninth, Durbin struck again, tying the game with a looping single against O's closer Felix Bautista. Sweeeeeet.
Of course ... there is the other side of the coin. Durbin loves to take the extra base. He's got patience and a keen eye. He rarely strikes out, and if he does go down on strikes, he probably wasn't at fault.
And yet ... knowing Yankee fans and their famous patience, they probably wouldn't be too keen with Durbin hitting .174 with a .517 OPS at the big-league level thus far this season. Oswald Peraza, much maligned, has better surface numbers and dove all over a tarp to earn his hustle points this week. Maybe Durbin would've only made things worse at the hot corner in the Bronx.
There's still a chance for this to turn into a worthy swap for both sides if both Williams and Durbin keep playing fearlessly. Until the Yankees fill their hole at third, though, we'll always wonder what if.
