The Yankees have made another pitching splash, this time acquiring star closer Devin Williams from the Brewers in exchange for Nestor Cortes Jr. and prospect Caleb Durbin.
The nearly 25-year-old Durbin became a big name around Yankees Universe after Brian Cashman told reporters at the start of the offseason that Durbin was a very real candidate to be the team’s Opening Day second baseman. Instead, he is off to Milwaukee as the Yanks bolstered the bullpen.
So, what does that mean for the Yankee infield? Cashman acknowledged that internal candidates like Oswald Peraza or Oswaldo Cabrera could win the job, but what if Jazz Chisholm moves to second, a more natural position for him than third base? What would the Yanks do at the hot corner?
There is a notable third baseman on the market in the form of Alex Bregman, an All-Star and one of the faces of the hated Astros, and Cashman acknowledged that he has talked to Bregman’s agent about his potential interest in New York.
“My job is to find a way to make us as quality as we can year in and year out, so we’re gonna vet every opportunity,” Cashman said. “He's been a thorn in our side for years, along with a lot of other people's side. He’s now into free agency and I’m sure he has a boatloads of choices…I have had a conversation or two with Scott Boras, I’ll acknowledge that, with a lot of his clients, including Alex Bregman. Certainly respect the player and his ability, and how much winning he’s been a part of. But that’s about as much as I will say at this point.”
As for Durbin, Cashman says the trade doesn’t diminish what the organization thought of him, but Williams was too big of a talent to pass up, and now, the work continues to try and fortify the infield after bolstering the pitching staff, both in the rotation with Max Fried and the bullpen with Williams.
“We’re just gonna stay in the marketplace,” Cashman said. “It definitely was a consideration that wasn’t easy to navigate at first. We have vacancies in the infield. And Durbin had emerged as a legitimate candidate that we considered…right or wrong, we felt it was harder to acquire someone at the level of Devin Williams than it would be to try to figure out infield circumstances.
“You have to give to get. Right now, our internal candidates are who they are...we’ll see how our conversations continue in the free agent and trade market.”