Former Brewer's latest injury update adds context to multiple major trades

A recent injury update on former Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Nestor Cortes has shed light as to why multiple trades involving him have occurred over the last calendar year. Cortes was first traded by the New York Yankees to the Brewers last offseason, in a deal that sent Devin Williams to New York, in exchange for the aforementioned Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin.

After just half of a season in Milwaukee, Cortes was traded again, this time to the San Diego Padres at the 2025 trade deadline alongside prospect Jorge Quintana in exchange for outfielder Brandon Lockridge. All in all, Cortes ended up making just two starts in a Brewers uniform with injuries and the mid-season trade cutting his time in Milwaukee short.

Now, new information has surfaced that adds more context to each of those two trades, potentially changing how Brewers fans view how Matt Arnold and Milwaukee's front office handled the situation.

Latest injury update on former Milwaukee Brewer's pitcher Nestor Cortes adds context to multiple major trades

On social media, Cortes personally announced that he underwent surgery on his pitching arm and will be out for the next nine to ten months. Francys Romero, of beisbolfr.com, subsequently indicated that the surgery was performed to repair a tendon tear in the flexor tendon of the elbow that had previously cost him significant time during the 2024 season with the Yankees as well as the 2025 campaign with the Brewers.

This news really is not all that surprising. Cortes rushed back to pitch in the 2024 World Series for New York after initially tearing the tendon a season ago. Then, after just two starts in the 2025 season, the same issue landed him on the injured list for approximately three months.

At the end of his rehab assignment this year, Milwaukee elected to trade Cortes to the Padres for outfielder Brandon Lockridge, likely aware that surgery was ultimately inevitable and viewing Cortes more as a liability than an asset on the 2025 roster. The deal looked lopsided in San Diego's favor at the time, with the inclusion of talented prospect Jorge Quintana perplexing, but if both teams were aware of the volatility of Cortes' pitching arm, it becomes impressive that Milwaukee was able to even find a trade partner.

Fortunately for Milwaukee, they also acquired Caleb Durbin alongside Cortes in the initial Devin Williams trade. Durbin emerged as the Brewers' everyday starting third baseman, helping to validate the deal and reflect well on Arnold and company, especially given Williams' disappointing 2025 season in New York. Additionally, Lockridge provided much-needed depth in the outfield during the month of August as when Jackson Chourio was sidelined by a hamstring strain.

In the end, Cortes' lingering elbow concerns were likely the driving force behind why both the Yankees and Brewers elected to move on, cutting their losses at the right times. For Cortes, he now heads into free agency while recovering from surgery, making it unlikely that he'll land an MLB deal in the 2026 season.