Brewers Pitcher Nestor Cortes - Photo by the Milwaukee Brewers
MILWAUKEE, WI (WSAU) – As the Milwaukee Brewers continue to go through spring training workouts and prepare to face the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, the pitching staff is getting used to a new face who they hope can help stabilize their rotation in 2025.
According to Brewers ace Freddy Peralta, who spoke with Brewers beat writer Adam McCalvy, Nestor Cortes brings a lot of good things to the club, saying, “In the offseason, I was like, ‘Let’s see how he is.’ And his personality, it’s awesome. He’s for sure a great addition for us.”
Brewers former ace Brandon Woodruff said Cortes reminds him of a former teammate, “He reminds me a lot of Gio (Gonzalez). They’re very similar in that they just fit in, you know what I mean? He’s a ballplayer; he’s one of the boys. That’s what we’re good at: putting the right people in the room.”
Cortes, who was an All-Star in 2022 and acquired by the Brewers when they sent All-Star closer Devin Williams to the Yankees last fall, put up solid numbers for New York, going 9-10 and posting a 3.77 ERA with 162 strikeouts. He also made two appearances against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series, pitching less than two total innings but posting an ERA of 9.00 on just one hit allowed.
When asked what it’s been like to join the Brewers so far, he said it’s always good to join a team that always wants to win, saying, “This team is always fighting for a playoff spot at the end. I’m excited to be with this team and be able to do that.” Cortes also spoke about how his elbow feels after suffering an injury back in September that led him to being placed on the IL, saying, “I’ve been bouncing back real well,” he said. “I think as we ramp up here, I’ll get a sense of where I’m really at. As of now, I feel super healthy.”
Cortes will join one of the better veteran rotations in baseball, which includes Tobias Myers, Aaron Civale, Brandon Woodruff, and Freddy Peralta, that will give the Brewers an opportunity to once again contend for another NL Central title and a possible deep playoff run.
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