Young spark plug the Yankees traded is elite at the exact thing they lack most

(Smash cut to me sitting at a desk in an endless classroom, squirming, sweating, snapping pencils for literally nine hours) "Um...I'm going to have to get back to you on whether the Yankees are better or worse off after the Caleb Durbin-for-Devin Williams trade, if that's alright with you?!"

Brian Cashman's creative swap with the Brewers may eventually go into the history books as a "good baseball trade" that helped both sides, but right now, there are too many narrative threads and too many shifting unknowns to make a proper judgment.

Trading Nestor Cortes Jr.? A good idea, even if he comes back healthy; Will Warren has been more than capable, and the Yankees will likely have a rotation logjam this summer. Adding Devin Williams? He struggled early, but has rebounded tremendously after getting comfortable (and calling his own pitches); given the Yankees' bare bullpen cupboard these days, they're glad they have him. But, at the time, an extension seemed plausible. Now that likely won't happen? So, as tough as it is to imagine a world with Williams right now, he probably won't be a long-term piece. Couldn't the Yankees have found a bullpen stalwart another way?

That brings us to Caleb Durbin, the prospect with a half-decade of control the Yankees swapped to Milwaukee. At the Winter Meetings, we were all told Durbin had a chance to crack the big-league roster at either second or third, with Jazz Chisholm Jr. moved around more comfortably. Days later, he was dealt. The Yankees ... still don't have a third baseman? Chisholm Jr. is ... still uncomfortable? Durbin has been ... below-average, but scorching lately, and making an impression in the kinds of moments where the Yankees grow meekest.

If the Yankees address this screaming hole at the trade deadline, we'll be forced to re-appraise this trade again. For now, though, it's quite glaring that Durbin's gone, replaced by no one, and he's been incredible at the Yankees' worst skill: clutch hitting.

Yankees missing Caleb Durbin for multiple reasons, but especially his clutch gene

Yes, as if this wasn't complex enough, the Anthony Volpe-like Durbin has risen to the occasion when the spotlight has shone brightest. He's still nowhere close to his ceiling - or, if he is, he's poised to underwhelm a bit - but he looks like the best version of himself exactly when he needs to, which skews perspective further.

Meanwhile, it's not shocking at all that this list is devoid of Yankees. Their recent RISP run has been the stuff of legends - bad legends, like when you read Greek myths about a kid who ate cigarettes or something. After Tuesday's loss, they were collectively the worst high-leverage offense in all of baseball, behind the moribund, historically bad Rockies; even seeing the Mets in 27th place and Boston in 24th was barely a comfort.

Without Williams, the Yankees would be stuck in a different, similarly deep well. Given how eager they were to trade Durbin, they probably wouldn't have given him a chance to start if he'd stuck around anyway, and would still be looking for upgrades. If you were looking for a simple letter grade on this trade, though, you're going to have to wait - and the clutch time disparity just makes it more difficult to evaluate.