The Brewers trade of star closer Devin Williams for infield prospect Caleb Durbin and lefty pitcher Nestor Cortes worked for Milwaukee for many reasons.

Position and price certainly were at play. But so was personality.

Access the Yankees beat like never before

Don’t miss Greg Joyce’s text messages from The Bronx and beyond — he’s giving Sports+ subscribers the inside buzz on the Yankees.

Williams ($8.6 million) was expensive for a small-market reliever, and Brewers people liked Durbin’s skill set and surely his scrappiness — plus the six years of club control on the incoming rookie. It’s clear Brewers people didn’t mind removing Williams, either. And it didn’t have anything to do with him surrendering the Pete Alonso homer that knocked them out of the playoffs in 2024.

When I opined that Williams didn’t fit in New York, one Brewers person responded: “I could have told you that.”