Even if you recall your wildest birthdays so far, you couldn’t even get close to what Nestor Cortes Jr. had on his special day. The New York Yankees starting pitcher woke up to a surprise trade to the Milwaukee Brewers on his birthday. It obviously sounds bizarre, but what’s even hurtful is that Cortes Jr. had a little idea about the shuffle, but he wasn’t expecting that to happen on the very day.
As Brewers source Curt Hogg reported, Nestor was having a good time in fancy Las Vegas when the news first surfaced. The reporter even took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account and tweeted a few lines about the Cuban star pitcher’s dilemma.
“A lot of people have woken up in Las Vegas confused; consider Nestor Cortes among them. He’s in Vegas celebrating his birthday and woke up this morning to a ton of missed calls and texts and had no idea why,” Hogg wrote in his tweet.
A lot of people have woken up in Las Vegas confused; consider Nestor Cortes among them. He's in Vegas celebrating his birthday and woke up this morning to a ton of missed calls and texts and had no idea why.
— Curt Hogg (@CyrtHogg) December 13, 2024
Moreover, Cortes had a little idea about getting cut off of the lineup. As the same reporter shared in his tweet, the All-Star speculated that the Yankees’ pitching composition would see a reshape as they already had a lefty pitcher in the form of Max Fried. Cortes mentioned that he might find himself in an “odd-man-out” situation, and that is exactly what happened to him.
Brewers Now Needs Nestor Cortes Jr. And Caleb Durbin
So, Nestor Cortes Jr. is now a former Yankees along with his infielder teammate Caleb Durbin. The duo is now headed to the Milwaukee Brewers where they will get to work building team’s 2025 roster. Cortes, a seasoned left-handed pitcher, brings a good amount of experience. He has a career record of 33-21 and a 3.80 ERA over 135 games, including a All-Star season in 2022.
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New Brewer Caleb Durbin showed out during the Arizona Fall League this year 👀
— MLB (@MLB) December 13, 2024
He hit .312, swiped 29 bags (an AFL record!), and dazzled on defense pic.twitter.com/TAP6g6I3vu
With what he learned best being a Yankees player, Cortes might certainly play a crucial role in the Brewers’ starting rotation. On the other hand, Caleb Durbin will be there on his side, aiding the team on the infield front. The 24-year-old star also carries his experiences from the Arizona Fall League and the Triple-A level.
While their performances would be a good to have for the Brewers, it would be worth watching what surprises the duo get at their new base.
