Exploring Trade Partners For Devin Williams: New York Yankees

[Jason Wang]

The Airbender could be a big upgrade to the Big Apple bullpen as long as he doesn’t mind the city-slicker life.

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Why They Need Him
The 2024 season was understandably bittersweet for many Yankees fans. On one hand, the one-two punch of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto in the lineup was the most imposing offensive duo in the league. They also made it to the World Series for the first time since winning it all in 2009, but what seemed like an immensely promising season ended in calamity. While the 4-1 series record made it seem much more one-sided in favor of the Dodgers, both the first and last game of the series were within New York’s grasp before small mistakes became big losses, dashing their hopes of kickstarting a new dynasty. 

Many believe that the front office should prioritize re-signing Juan Soto in free agency, which is a fair opinion, but putting your eggs in one basket is never good. Even if they succeed in bringing Soto back, the Yankees would benefit from beefing up their pitching staff, specifically in the form of an elite closer.

At first glance, it doesn’t seem like New York has much of a reliever problem. The bullpen combined for a 3.58 ERA and was sixth in MLB, but that doesn’t tell the full story of their closer role in 2024. Clay Holmes was outstanding for the first two months of the season, posting a 1.48 ERA over 24 ⅓ innings by June 1st. Then, things started to come apart at the seams for Holmes, especially in July, when he would blow four saves. By the end of the season, he had been demoted and ended the year with 13 blown saves, tying the franchise record for the most in a single season. 

Clay Holmes is now a free agent. Luke Weaver, who was selected to fill the closer role for the final portion of the season as well as the entirety of the postseason, had his team option for 2025 picked up. This may seem like the issue has been solved, but there isn’t a whole lot of evidence to suggest that Weaver is the closer of the future, especially if the club hopes to maintain their World Series aspirations. Weaver is a career 4.85 ERA pitcher, and despite a successful 2024, it wouldn’t be too surprising if he found himself regressing while placed under higher expectations. Furthermore, the Yankees already saw positive results from working with a changeup-heavy reliever in Tommy Kahnle (who is also now a free agent), so there’s clearly room in that pitching staff for the kind of arsenal Williams possesses. The only difference is that Williams arguably possesses the best version of that arsenal. 

What They Have to Offer
The Yankees farm system isn’t the strongest, but that’s not to say there isn’t value to be found. In fact, MLB Pipeline ranks New York’s prospects just one spot lower (18th) than Milwaukee’s. They have fallen a few spots, with some of their more notable prospects struggling and losing some favor among scouts, but a few other names have risen to take their spots. First and foremost, there is a better chance of Bernie Brewer making 400+ plate appearances at shortstop in 2025 than there is of Jasson Domínguez somehow being involved in this trade. He’s great, and that’s exactly why New York isn’t going to trade him willy-nilly, especially not for a rental reliever. 

Spencer Jones is the team’s #2-ranked prospect, but he will undoubtedly fall more than a few spots when those rankings are updated. He posted a .789 OPS over 544 plate appearances in Double-A Somerset this season, which isn’t too heinous except that he also struck out 200 times, more than any other Yankees minor-leaguer in history. Formerly one of the most hyped-up prospects in New York’s system, he hasn’t adapted to higher levels of competition the way the team has hoped, and this may be their last chance to get something for him while his stock still has some semblance of its original value. This could be a chance for the Yankees to rid themselves of some dirty laundry while allowing the Brewers to get the best of a distressed asset.

Similarly, Roderick Arias was a 2022 international signing believed to be worth even more than his $4 million signing bonus. However, he hasn't made the same splash many had anticipated in the three years since he first donned the figurative pinstripes. In his most recent full season in Single-A Tampa, he posted a run-of-the-mill .728 OPS over 552 plate appearances and has still struggled immensely facing non-fastballs in the zone. With years ahead of him before he’s big-league ready, he seems like another diamond-in-the-rough candidate who won’t provide any direct value for New York while they’re in this narrow window of World Series contention but could add even more middle infield talent to Milwaukee’s farm.

Another name that could be packaged is #12-ranked Cade Smith (not to be confused with Cade Smith of Cleveland fame), a righty starter who posted a 3.47 ERA over 85 ⅔ innings in Single-A Tampa and made the jump to High-A Hudson Valley for his last two outings of the season. #17-ranked Zach Messinger is also a right-handed starter who is slightly further along his baseball journey, throwing 150 innings in Double-A Somerset to the tune of a 3.06 ERA. Because their Top 30 prospects are mostly filled with pitchers, the position player talent is understandably thinner, but 1B/C Rafael Flores had a great year, posting a combined .875 OPS across Double-A and High-A with 31 doubles and 21 home runs. 

The Yankees are close to earning their 28th World Series title. If they manage to marry a top-tier lineup with unhittable pitching, their annual championship aspirations could finally come to pass. It’s hard to know if Williams is the final piece of the puzzle, but with some potentially transformative prospect talent on the line for Milwaukee, this could be a win-win scenario for both teams. 

View full article

[sveumrules]

Yeah, not sure how well the Yankees really line up.

Agree that Smith and Messinger are probably the two best pitching prospects they'd be willing to part with.

Flores had a nice year but you have to really believe in the stick because it doesn't look like he has the goods behind the dish to be anything more than a third catcher in MLB.

Not a guy that appears to be on any of their lists but looks like Trent Sellers was an UDFA who put up 83.2 IP of 2.26 ERA | 3.17 FIP work mostly at A+ with a 30.1 K% and .149 AVG against in his pro debut.

Jesus Rodriguez (144 wRC+) put up a very similar season to Flores (149 wRC+) while being a year younger, with a way lower K rate (14.7% to 25.3%), and playing a little further up the defensive spectrum as a 3B/C with a better CS% than Flores.

[Jason Wang]

55 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

Yeah, not sure how well the Yankees really line up.

Agree that Smith and Messinger are probably the two best pitching prospects they'd be willing to part with.

Flores had a nice year but you have to really believe in the stick because it doesn't look like he has the goods behind the dish to be anything more than a third catcher in MLB.

Not a guy that appears to be on any of their lists but looks like Trent Sellers was an UDFA who put up 83.2 IP of 2.26 ERA | 3.17 FIP work mostly at A+ with a 30.1 K% and .149 AVG against in his pro debut.

Jesus Rodriguez (144 wRC+) put up a very similar season to Flores (149 wRC+) while being a year younger, with a way lower K rate (14.7% to 25.3%), and playing a little further up the defensive spectrum as a 3B/C with a better CS% than Flores.

i am a big stick believer