The Major League Baseball Winter Meetings are over, but it feels like the offseason is just getting ramped up, although maybe not for the Philadelphia Phillies. Friday saw the Phillies strike out on a premium trade target for the outfield after the Houston Astros sent Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs in a blockbuster trade.
Another trade on Friday had nothing to do with the Phillies, but it's hard not to think that they missed a prime opportunity to upgrade the bullpen after the Milwaukee Brewers dealt closer Devin Williams to the New York Yankees. ESPN's Jeff Passan was the first to break the deal, which sees the Brewers' elite closer head to the Bronx for starting pitcher Nestor Cortes, infielder Caleb Durbin and cash considerations, according to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch.
The trade is somewhat surprising, as the Brewers had reportedly taken him off the trade block at the beginning of the month and were waiting to reevaluate during the season.
Phillies miss chance to upgrade bullpen after Devin Williams' surprising trade to Yankees
Looking at the pieces that the Brewers got in return for the right-handed closer, one of the best in the game, it looks like a trade the Phillies could have made. It's one they should have made after their singular move at the Winter Meetings was to sign reliever Jordan Romano to a one-year, $8.5 million contract. Romano had been one of the top closers before injuries set him back in 2024. Still, he's not Devin Williams.
There's a good chance the Phillies won't sign another top back-end reliever this winter, thanks to their payroll constraints and other obvious needs in the outfield, but a trade for a projected $7-8 million dominating closer sounds good.
After making his season debut in late July this past season, thanks to being sidelined by a back injury, Williams posted a 1.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 22 regular season appearances, grabbing 14 saves. He's arbitration-eligible, projected for $7.7 million this winter and will become a free agent after next season.
Since his debut in 2019, here are Devin Williams' ranks among relievers with at least 200 innings pitched:
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 13, 2024
ERA: 2nd (1.83)
K/9: 4th (14.3)
HR/9: 6th (0.6)
H/9: 1st (4.9)
He is one of the truly elite relievers in baseball. And now he's at the back end of the Yankees' bullpen.
The left-hander Cortes also is heading into his final year of arbitration and has a 33-21 record and 3.80 ERA in 135 career games (86 starts). Comparably, Phillies lefty Ranger Suárez has a 41-29 record and a 3.42 ERA in 161 games (93 starts). He's also in his final arbitration year and projects to earn just slightly more ($8.9 million) than Cortes ($7.7 million).
The secondary piece of Durbin might be the piece that intrigued the Brewers the most, though. According to Hoch, the 24-year-old was a leading candidate to play second base for the Yankees in 2025 with "an impressive showing in the Arizona Fall League, where he set a record with 29 stolen bases in 24 games."
Caleb Durbin has a unique profile. He's only 5-foot-6 but plays everywhere -- 2B, 3B, SS, CF -- and has incredible bat-to-ball skills. In 1,216 minor league PA, he has slashed .269/.374/.407 with 134 walks, 111 strikeouts and 110 stolen bases. A high-floor guy for Milwaukee.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 13, 2024
Who the Phillies could have included with Suárez is hard to say. The Phillies would also have had to have a plan in place to fill the spot in the starting rotation. After missing out on the Garrett Crochet trade earlier this week, it would have been more challenging — the Yankees were obviously in a better position to trade a starter after signing Max Fried this week.
But adding Williams to an already strong Phillies bullpen for the 2025 season would have made it one of the best relief corps in baseball. Alas, we still wait for the front office to set the rest of their offseason plan into motion.