Who Will Get the Better of the Devin Williams-Nestor Cortes Trade Between the Brewers & Yankees?

Yesterday, the Milwaukee Brewers sent their closer Devin Williams to the New York Yankees in exchange for starting pitcher Nestor Cortes, Jr. along with minor league prospect Caleb Durbin.

So, who will get the better of this trade?

In Williams, the Yankees get a brand new closer after Clay Holmes signed a free agent deal with the crosstown Mets. Williams, a second-round draft pick by the Brew Crew in 2013, reached the major leagues late in the 2019 and would become NL Rookie of the Year during the 2020 COVID shortened season emerging as then Brewers closer Josh Hader's set up man. Williams struck out 53 batters in 27 innings pitched posting a 0.33 ERA finishing 7th in NL Cy Young balloting. 

Williams, 30, took over the closer role when the Brewers traded Hader to the San Diego Padres during the trade deadline in 2022. He would earn back-to-back NL All-Star appearances in 2022 and 2023 but would miss the first four months of the 2024 season with stress fractures in his back. Williams would return to the mound in late July and ended up posting 14 saves in 22 appearances down the stretch. Unfortunately for Williams, his last appearance in a Brewers uniform was a sour one giving up the go-ahead 3-run HR to Mets slugger Pete Alonso in Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series.

Well, Cortes can certainly relate. There's a very good chance that when people think of Cortes they will invariably think of the walk-off extra innings grand slam HR he surrendered to Freddie Freeman in Game 1 of the 2024 World Series. It was Cortes first appearance on the mound in over five weeks due to a flexor strain and would overshadow a serviceable season. In 31 appearances (30 of them starts), Cortes went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA striking out 162 batters in 174.1 innings pitched while walking only 39. 

But the Yankees decided to part ways with Cortes. He found out he was traded after waking up to a flurry of text messages while vacationing in Las Vegas to celebrate his 30th birthday. It would mark the end of his third stint with the Bronx Bombers.

The Cuban born southpaw was selected by the Yankees in the 36th round of the 2013 MLB Draft. After toiling in the minor leagues for nearly five seasons, the Baltimore Orioles was selected him the 2017 Rule 5 Draft. This would require the O's to keep Cortes on their major league roster the entire 2018 season or return him to the Yankees. While Cortes made his MLB debut with the O's in 2018, he was returned to the Yankees after only four appearances.

Cortes would make his Yankees debut in 2019 pitching mainly out of the bullpen only to be traded to the Seattle Mariners following the season. After making only 5 appearances for the M's during the 2020 COVID shortened season, Cortes was granted free agency and joined the Yankees for a third time. After initially pitching out of the bullpen in 2021, Cortes joined the starting rotation in July. He finished the year 2-3 with a 2.90 ERA striking out 103 batters while walking only 25 over 93 innings pitched.

2022 proved to be Cortes' breakout season going 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA posting 163 strikeouts against only 38 walks over 158.1 innings pitched earning his first AL All-Star selection. Unfortunately, a rotator cuff injury limited Cortes to only 12 starts in 2023. As previously mentioned, while Cortes pitched a fuller season this year, he did get hurt in September. 

From where I sit this could be an even trade. Williams and Cortes are free agents after 2025. So, it could be one and done for pitchers. On the other hand, it remains to be seen if Williams can handle the New York spotlight. As for Cortes, I think he will be comfortable pitching in Milwaukee and will add depth to that rotation. Another factor which could give the Brewers the edge in this deal is the fate of Caleb Durbin. Originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2019, Durbin spent most of 2024 in AAA ball. With Willy Adames having departed for the Giants, perhaps Durbin will get his big break.

Red Sox Pry Crochet From White Sox

Yesterday, the Boston Red Sox acquired pitcher Garrett Crochet from the Chicago White Sox for four minor league players. 

As abysmal as the 2024 Chicago White Sox were with a modern MLB record 121 losses, Garrett Crochet was a gem. Although his 6-12 record isn't anything to brag about, he did strikeout 209 batters while walking only 33 in 146 innings pitched. Crochet posted an ERA of 3.81 which is quite respectable on a team which recorded an AL worst team ERA of 4.68. It was good enough to earn Crochet AL Comeback Player of the Year honors at the tender age of 25.

What is even more impressive is that the Mississippi born Crochet never started a big-league game until this season. A first-round draft pick by the Chisox in 2020 (after declining to sign with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017 so he could attend the University of Tennessee), Crochet made his MLB debut late during the COVID shortened season. He pitched effectively out of the bullpen in 2021 before missing all of 2022 with Tommy John surgery. In his return in 2023, he picked up where he left off before being named the team's Opening Day starter in 2024 earning a spot as the White Sox's lone representative to the MLB All Star Game. 

The one thing I worry about are the inevitable comparisons to Chris Sale, another southpaw who the Red Sox acquired from the White Sox. Aside from changing Sox, Sale was named NL Comeback of the Player for his renaissance season in Atlanta. Yet let us not forget that Sale pitched 7 full seasons on the South Side of Chicago, was named to five consecutive AL All-Star Teams along four Top 5 finishes in AL Cy Young balloting. Sale's resume is much deeper than Crochet. 

With that said, Crochet has a lot going for him and coming to Boston will be a boost. At the very minimum it softens the blow of losing out on Max Fried to the Yankees. I am sure Crochet will weave some pitching masterpieces at Fenway in 2025 and beyond.

Rocky Colavito Was Among the Most Feared Sluggers in the AL in the 1950s & 1960s

Rocky Colavito, one of baseball's most feared sluggers in the 1950s and 1960s, passed away today at the age of 91. While no cause of death was given, Colavito did have a leg amputated due to diabetes in 2015. 

Born and raised in the Bronx, Colavito's heart was in Cleveland. Colavito signed with the Indians prior to the 1951 season making his MLB debut late in the 1955 season. In 1956, Colavito would finish runner up in AL Rookie of the Year balloting to future Hall of Famer Luis Aparicio after hitting .276 with 21 HR and 65 RBI. 

Colavito's breakout season came in 1958 when he hit a career high .303 with 41 HR and 113 RBI along with leading the AL in SLG at .620 finishing third in AL MVP balloting behind Boston Red Sox outfielder Jackie Jensen and New York Yankees pitcher Bob Turley. The following year Colavito finished fourth in AL MVP balloting behind three members of the AL champion Chicago White Sox - Nellie Fox, the aforementioned Aparicio and pitcher Early Wynn. Colavito earned his fourth-place finish by leading the AL with 42 HR along with 111 RBI though his batting average did slip to .257. That year Colavito also hit 4 HR in a game. 

Prior to the 1960 season, the Indians traded Colavito to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn who had won the AL batting title in 1959 with a .353 average. It proved to be an unpopular trade with both Cleveland and Detroit fans as Kuenn only spent one season in Cleveland before being shipped to San Francisco. The trade baffled Colavito for the rest of his life.

Colavito would spend four seasons in Detroit and despite driving in 100 or more runs in three of those seasons, Tigers fans did not embrace him. In 1961, the Tigers gave the Yankees everything they got in the AL pennant race with Colavito hitting a career high 45 HR and 140 RBI. But it wasn't enough.

The Tigers would deal Colavito to the Kansas City A's prior to the 1964 season. In his lone season in an A's uniform, Colavito hit .274 with 34 and 102 RBI. Prior to the 1965 season, the A's made a deal with the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians which saw Colavito return to Municipal Stadium. Colavito responded by playing in all 162 games hitting .287 with 26 HR and a league leading 108 RBI along with leading the AL with 93 walks. It was good enough to earn a fifth-place finish in AL MVP voting behind Zoilo Versalles, Tony Oliva, Brooks Robinson and Eddie Fisher.

The Tribe would trade Colavito yet again in the middle of the 1967 season to the Chicago White Sox before splitting the 1968 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. During his brief stint with the Yankees, Colavito actually pitched in a game earning a win. He would be the last position player to earn a win in MLB until Brett Mayne did so with the Colorado Rockies against the Atlanta Braves in 2000 (in a game I saw on TV). 

In 1841 games over 14 seasons, Colavito collected 1730 hits for a lifetime batting average of .266 with 374 HR and 1159 RBI. He was named to 9 AL All-Star Teams. During the 1970s, Colavito returned to the Indians serving as both a broadcaster and member of the coaching staff throughout the decade. Colavito would later serve as the hitting coach for the Kansas City Royals in 1982 and 1983 under Dick Howser partaking in the infamous pine tar game against the Yankees. 

Colavito never earned above 1% of the vote while on the BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot in 1974 and 1975. Colavito's case for Cooperstown would be reviewed by the Veterans Committee in 2003, 2005 and 2007 but he never received more than 10% of the vote. However, Colavito would earn his spot in the Cleveland Indians/Guardians Hall of Fame in 2006. R.I.P.

Michael Cole Was The Last Original Surviving Cast Member of "The Mod Squad"

Actor Michael Cole, best known for his portrayal of Pete Cochrane, on the TV series The Mod Squad which ran on ABC from 1968 to 1973, passed away today at the age of 84. No cause of death was released.

Cole co-starred on The Mod Squad with Peggy Lipton and Clarence Williams III. He was also the last surviving member with Lipton and Williams passing away in 2019 and in 2021, respectively. Both Lipton and Williams died of cancer. All three symbolized the youth of the 1960s counterculture and now all are gone. 

His last acting credit was nearly 15 years ago. After The Mod Squad, Cole appeared on TV shows like Wonder Woman, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island and CHIPs while reuniting with Lipton and Williams in a Mod Squad TV movie in 1979. During the 1990s, Cole did a stint on the ABC soap opera General Hospital and did occasional guest spots on shows like Diagnosis Murder, 7th Heaven and ER. He also had a small role in the 2007 film Mr. Brooks starring Kevin Costner and Demi Moore. 

Cole came from a broken home, fathered two children by the time he was 20 and was homeless before trying his hand at acting. There was a certain intensity in his portrayal of Pete Cochrane and that intensity connected with a generation of TV viewers. R.I.P.

Max Fried Will Be a Good Fit for the Yankees

After spending his entire 8-year big league career with the Atlanta Braves, pitcher Max Fried has found a new home with the New York Yankees. Fried, 30, signed an 8-year, $218 million contract with the Bronx Bombers. 

A first round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2012 (and seventh pick overall), Fried was dealt to Atlanta in a multiplayer deal which brought Justin Upton to the Braves. During his eight seasons in Atlanta, Fried has gone 73-36 with a 3.07 ERA with 863 strikeouts and only 246 walks in 884.1 innings pitched. Fried has captured 3 Gold Gloves, earning 2 NL All-Star Team selections and a World Series ring in 2021. His best overall season came in 2022 when he finished runner up in NL Cy Young balloting to Miami Marlins hurler Sandy Alcantara. 

I think Fried will be a good fit in New York. Given the team's perennial success there is no reason to believe he won't have comparable numbers in pinstripes. I also think the Yankees having a Jewish player on their squad can't hurt either. If nothing else, it will soften the blow of losing Juan Soto to the crosstown New York Mets. 

Why I'm Not Surprised Daniel Penny Was Acquitted of Killing Jordan Neely

I am saddened but unsurprised a New York jury acquitted Daniel Penny of choking Jordan Neely to death on the F train in May 2023.

Many among us hate homeless people. I've known a few people in my life who have expressed the desire that homeless people should be executed for being homeless. Mind you, some of these same people do not think the death penalty is warranted for serial killers. But for them homelessness is an irredeemable capital offense. 

I cannot say whether any of those 12 jurors are necessarily glad that Daniel Penny killed Jordan Neely, but I do suspect those people probably had a bias against homeless people strong enough that they did not view of Neely as a human being worthy of life. 

While Neely was in an agitated state uttering threat, he did not physically attack anyone. Nothing Neely did justified Penny's actions. Now that Penny has been acquitted, it sends the message that homeless people can be killed without fear of consequence. 

The New York Post is celebrating Penny's acquittal while accusing Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg of politicizing the case. Last I checked, Ron DeSantis referred to Penny as a "Good Samaritan" while Nikki Haley said Penny should have received a pardon. Who exactly is doing the politicizing here? 

Let me put it another way. Would anyone be surprised if Penny gets an audience with President-elect Trump?

Neely's family is pursuing a civil suit and may get a measure of justice which alluded them in criminal court. Even if they get recompense Jordan Neely is still dead while Daniel Penny gets away with murder.

Juan Soto Stays in New York But Moves From Bronx to Queens Signing With Mets for 15-Yr, $765 Million

The biggest free agent in MLB is now off the market. 

Juan Soto, who spent 2024 with the New York Yankees, will be moving from the Bronx to Queens reportedly signing a 15-year, $765 contract with the New York Mets. 

It is the biggest contract in MLB history. 

Soto, 26, enters 2025 with nearly 1,000 career hits (934) for a lifetime batting average of .288, 201 HR and 592 RBI over 7 big league seasons spent with the Washington Nationals, San Diego Padres and the Bronx Bombers.

The Dominican born sensation has accomplished a lot in a short time. After finishing runner up to Atlanta Braves superstar Ronald Acuna, Jr. in NL Rookie of the Year balloting in 2018 he would earn a World Series ring with the Nats in 2019. In 2021, Soto finished runner up in NL MVP balloting to Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper - the man he replaced in D.C.

The Nats, amid rebuilding, would trade Soto and Josh Bell to the San Diego Padres during the 2022 season. Soto would finish 6th in NL MVP balloting for an underachieving Padres team in 2023 prompting a trade to the Yankees one year ago yesterday. In 2024, Soto finished third in AL MVP balloting behind teammate Aaron Judge and Jose Ramirez of the Cleveland Guardians. 

Soto needed to be somewhere where he is number one. As long as Judge wears a Yankees uniform, it won't be the Bronx, and it wouldn't be with the Dodgers so as long as Shohei Ohtani plays in Chavez Ravine. While the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays were interested, they are rebuilding. 

Soto wants to win again now. The Mets put up a good fight against the eventual World Series champion Dodgers in the NLCS but were one piece short and Soto is probably the last piece of the puzzle needed in the Mets arsenal to taste a World Series title for the first time in nearly 40 years. 

If nothing else, the Yankees-Mets rivalry got that much more interesting especially if they face off in the World Series for the first time in 25 years. Judge vs. Soto.

Of course, this will be accompanied with a great deal of pressure. If the Mets fall short in 2025 or 2026 or take a few steps back, then Soto is going to hear it from Mets fans and from the New York sports media. Soto does have an opt-out provision in his contract following the 2029 season.

If things don't go well in New York, he might be happy to return to San Diego.