Former NY Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes pens down EMOTIONAL message following trade to Brewers

The New York Yankees recently traded away starting pitcher Nestor Cortes to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Devin Williams.

Former NY Yankees pitcher Nestor Cortes pens down EMOTIONAL message following trade to Brewers

Nestor Cortes (Image via Fox News)

As the MLB offseason rolls, the New York Yankees made a bold move recently. The team acquired closing pitcher Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers in a trade. In exchange, they gave away one of their starting pitchers, Nestor Cortes. The former All-Star would later penned down an emotional message following this move.

This trade move came after the Yankees suffered a massive blow. Their former star Juan Soto decided not to re-sign with them during the free agency and instead chose the New York Mets on a 15-year $765 million deal.

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Since then the Yankees have gone into an aggressive mode and started working on a Plan B. One of these was saw them rope in Williams and gave up Cortes in a trade deal.

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Taking to his Instagram account, the 30-year-old pitcher expressed his gratitude towards the Yankees organization.

Seems like I’ve written this too many times about NY. But I’m always grateful and proud of being groomed by the Yankee organization. A city full of life and tremendous support from the fans. Where us as players leave everything out on the field regardless of the outcome because the city is breathing and living by every win. With such a unique journey. I’d do it all over again if I had to.

Nestor Cortes wrote as a part of his message on Instagram

In his career so far, Cortes has had three stints with the Yankees. He joined them through the draft in 2013 before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles. After an unimpressive stint with them, he rejoined the Yankees in 2018.

Once again he was traded away by the team. In December 2020, he came back for a third stint with the team after spending the 2020 campaign with the Mariners. Cortes went on to become a fan favorite after that in the Bronx.

He struggled a bit in the 2024 season. Cortes went 9-10 in 31 games started while pitching with a 3.77 ERA.

The pitcher also did not enjoy a good time in the postseason as he returned from an injury in Game 1 of the World Series and gave up a walk-off grand slam to Freddie Freeman. He thus became the first pitcher to concede a walk-off slam in World Series history.

NY Yankees welcome Max Fried and Cody Bellinger to Bronx

While the New York Yankees may have lost a few fan favorites in Juan Soto and Nestor Cortes, they have some new additions to the team. On Tuesday, the Yankees officially welcomed pitcher Max Fried and former National League MVP Cody Bellinger to the team.

Max Fried and Cody Bellinger
Max Fried (L) and Cody Bellinger (R) [Image via FanSided/Sporting News]

Before acquiring Devin Williams, the AL East side landed Fried from free agency. The team agreed on an 8-year $218 million deal for him. This is the biggest contract ever offered to a left-handed pitcher in MLB history.

As for Bellinger, the team had been looking for a power hitter to replace Soto. Though the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers star is not at the same level he was in 2019, he is still a great outfielder and a hitter. The AL Champions got their hands on him through a trade with the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday.

The Yankees though are reported to make a few more big moves in the offseason. The team has been linked with several top free agents like Christian Walker and Pete Alonso. Apart from that, there are reports that they could even look at Anthony Santander. For now, it remains to be seen whom they get next.