Getty Will Warren throwing a pitch
The New York Yankees seemingly found their closer in the middle of the season after Luke Weaver proved he could fill the role moving forward. While Weaver was lights out in his short stint as the Yankees closer, there’s a chance they could look to bring in an arm with more experience closing games.
Devin Williams of the Milwaukee Brewers is a trade candidate, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, giving the Yankees an opportunity to grab the two-time Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award winner.
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report assembled packages for teams to acquire the right-hander, including the Yankees in his column.
Yankees would receive: Williams
Brewers would receive: Will Warren, Brock Selvidge
“It wasn’t the bullpen that (literally) dropped the ball for the Yankees in the World Series. The pen was solid throughout the postseason, including with a 2.86 ERA in the Fall Classic. This was notably with Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle, however. Both are now free agents, and the Yankees would otherwise be wise not to take it for granted that Weaver can sustain his late-season run of brilliance as their closer.
“He really was that good after September 6, allowing only three earned runs in 26.1 total innings. But he seemed out of gas by the end of the World Series, and to call his entire 2024 season an outlier relative to the rest of his career would be understating it,” Rymer wrote on November 6. “Granted, the Yankees need to be more focused on re-signing Juan Soto and otherwise filling out their infield. But relief help should be among their top priorities, and their contention window aligns with Williams’ free-agency timeline.”
Selvidge is considered the Yankees’ No. 7 prospect, according to MLB.com.
Why the Brewers Might Decline the Yankees’ Offer
Given that Williams is a one-year rental, the Milwaukee Brewers shouldn’t expect to get a big package for him. Still, other teams might be able to put together a better deal than the New York Yankees.
Once regarded as one of the top farm systems in Major League Baseball, the Yankees now rank below average in most rankings.
Rymer believes that could be an issue, but the Yankees would still give them a decent prospect and a Major League Baseball arm.
“The Yankees’ problem is they’re short on valuable trade chips. They don’t have much in the way of expendable MLB talent, and their farm system is the second-worst in MLB.
“This package probably wouldn’t impress Brewers fans, though the team would get at least one MLB-ready pitcher out of it,” Rymer wrote. “That’s Warren, who notably limited hitters to a 2-for-27 showing against his fastball in the majors this year.”
Why the Yankees Should Make this Trade
Weaver was as good as it gets at parts throughout the year for the New York Yankees. His stuff was elite, which should be a good indication of how he’ll pitch in the future.
Still, landing Williams would give the Yankees one of, if not, the best closer in baseball. Williams is a valuable asset and would fit in nicely with the Yankees bullpen after posting a 1.66 ERA over the past three seasons.
If the price is low, it’s something New York should explore.
Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan
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