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Devin Williams

MLBTR Podcast: An Agent’s Perspective with B.B. Abbott – Also, Cease, Williams, Helsley, And Gray

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by B.B. Abbott of Wasserman Baseball to discuss…

  • Abbott’s approach to free agency (3:30)
  • The impact of the media on free agency (10:00)
  • The different levels of player involvement in free agency (17:00)
  • The decision to sign an extension instead of going to free agency (20:15)
  • Chris Sale and his extensions with the White Sox, Red Sox and Braves (23:00)
  • Byron Buxton and his extension with the Twins (28:50)
  • Representing young players going into the draft (32:10)
  • The general state of baseball (35:50)

Plus, Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors joins the show to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

  • Some “Classic Baseball Trades,” Nimmo For Semien, And Ward For Rodriguez – listen here
  • Offseason Preview Megapod: Top 50 Free Agents – listen here
  • Surprising Option Decisions, Qualifying Offers, And Paul DePodesta – listen here

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron, Imagn Images

Mets Sign Devin Williams To Three-Year Deal

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December 3: The Mets have officially announced their signing of Williams.

December 1: Another free agent reliever has come off the board. The Mets are reportedly in agreement with Devin Williams on a three-year deal that guarantees the Klutch Sports client $51MM, though the net present value is knocked down by $15MM in deferrals.

Williams receives a $6MM signing bonus that’ll be paid in $2MM installments. He receives $15MM annual salaries, $5MM of which is deferred each season. (Signing bonuses are paid even in the event of a work stoppage, while players would not receive salaries for any games lost to a 2027 lockout.) There’s also reportedly a $1MM assignment bonus in the event of a trade.

A second-round pick by the Brewers in 2013, Williams took a while to climb through the minor leagues as a starting pitcher. He took off after being moved to the bullpen in 2019, climbing from Double-A to the big leagues by the end of that season. Williams emerged as one of the sport’s best late-game weapons by his first full big league season. He turned in a 0.33 ERA across 27 innings during the shortened 2020 schedule and claimed the National League Rookie and Reliever of the Year Awards.

The righty continued to dominate over the next few seasons, forming a lethal back-end duo with Josh Hader. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns had a front row seat as Milwaukee’s front office leader for most of that tenure. Williams stepped into the ninth inning when Milwaukee sent Hader to San Diego at the ’22 deadline. He reeled off 36 saves in 40 tries with a 1.53 ERA to win his second career Reliever of the Year honors a year later.

Over his first four full seasons, Williams pitched to a 1.75 ERA while striking out 40.5% of opposing hitters. Heading into 2024, there was a decent argument for him as the best reliever in MLB. He hit his first real setback that Spring Training, as testing revealed two stress fractures in his back. He didn’t make his season debut until shortly before the trade deadline. Williams looked every bit as dominant during the regular season, reeling off 21 2/3 frames of three-run ball with 38 strikeouts to finish the year. His season ended in heartbreak fashion, as he surrendered a go-ahead homer to Pete Alonso in the final game of the Wild Card Series.

That wound up being Williams’ final action in a Milwaukee uniform. Before his last year of arbitration, the Brewers flipped him to the Yankees for starter Nestor Cortes and rookie infielder Caleb Durbin. The Yankees felt they were acquiring one of the ten best relievers in the sport. Williams’ results, at least, didn’t come close to those expectations.

The 31-year-old righty had an inconsistent lone season in the Bronx. He was terrible early on, giving up multiple runs in three of his first 10 appearances. Consecutive poor outings at the end of April led the Yankees to move him to a setup role and put Luke Weaver back into the ninth inning. Williams had one more rough appearance in early May before settling into a groove over the next few weeks. He returned to closing when Weaver landed on the injured list at the beginning of June.

Williams was lights out from that point through the All-Star Break. He gave up runs in seven of his first nine appearances of the second half, though, and the Yankees pushed him out of the closer role for good when they acquired David Bednar at the trade deadline. Williams posted a 5.06 ERA in the second half despite striking out nearly 40% of batters faced — the second-best rate among qualified relievers behind Mason Miller. He worked in a setup capacity late in the season and into the playoffs. Williams tossed four scoreless frames with four strikeouts in the postseason.

The end result was a career-worst 4.79 earned run average over 67 appearances. The Mets are placing a decent sized bet that the poor run prevention was a fluke. Opponents had a .339 batting average on balls in play when runners were on base. That’s easily the highest mark in Williams’ career (aside from his brief 2019 debut). He had a very difficult time stranding runners as a result. While relievers certainly need to be able to work out of tough situations, that had never previously been an issue.

Batted ball metrics can be volatile, especially for relievers who only throw 60-70 innings in a season. Williams’ stuff still grades out extremely well, and he remains capable of missing bats at a level that few other pitchers can match. He struck out 34.7% of opponents behind a 16.8% swinging strike rate. Those are down slightly from his usual marks but remain among the best in MLB. Among relievers with 50+ innings, Williams finished eighth in strikeout rate and 10th in whiffs.

Williams has two pitches which he has used at roughly equal rates over the past couple seasons. His fastball sits around 94 MPH and while it’s a good pitch, his standout offering is his unique “Airbender” screwball/changeup. The pitch still moves unlike any other changeup in the league, and opponents have hit below .200 against it in every full season of his career.

The underlying numbers made Williams a popular “buy-low” target among teams and fanbases. That is borne out in the contract to an extent. Williams might have been in the running for a $100MM deal had he posted another sub-2.00 ERA season. It didn’t force him to settle for a pillow contract, as he’s still being paid as a high-end reliever. Williams falls well short of the four years and $72MM which Tanner Scott commanded last winter, but he’s within the $46-58MM range in which closers Robert Suarez, Liam Hendriks and Raisel Iglesias have found themselves over the past few offseasons. He came up shy of the four years and $68MM which MLBTR had predicted in ranking him the second-best reliever in the class.

While an ugly walk year ERA still has some impact on a pitcher’s market, Williams is the third example this offseason of teams placing a decent amount of emphasis on stuff and whiffs in spite of that. Dylan Cease commanded a seven-year deal from the Blue Jays coming off a 4.55 ERA over 32 starts. Ryan Helsley pulled $14MM annually from the Orioles on a two-year contract with an opt-out despite a brutal finish to his 2025 season with the Mets. It’s easier for clubs to place that kind of bet on pitchers coming from a different team. The Mets were never likely to bring back Helsley, and while the Yankees reportedly kept in contact with Williams’ camp, they also opted not to issue him a $22.025MM qualifying offer that probably would have kept him around on a one-year deal.

The Mets obviously don’t feel that Williams is incapable of succeeding in New York. He’ll slot into a key late-inning role in Carlos Mendoza’s bullpen. He projects as the closer for now but could slide back into a setup capacity if the Mets bring back Edwin Díaz, which they’re reportedly still considering. If the Mets allow their longtime closer to walk, they’ll need to bring in multiple right-handed setup arms to bridge the gap to Williams in the ninth.

RosterResource projects the Mets’ 2026 payroll and luxury tax commitments in the $277-280MM range. They’re likely to end up beyond the $304MM final surcharge threshold by the time they address the rotation, bullpen, and/or first base and the corner outfield. The estimate from FanGraphs currently has them in the second tier of penalization — just below the $284MM cutoff for Tier 3. They’re taxed at a 62% rate for spending between $264MM and $284MM, so the Williams signing comes with an approximate $8-10MM tax hit depending on the calculation of the net present value. They’ll pay a 95% tax on spending between $284MM and $304MM and a 110% bill on any money beyond $304MM.

Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that the Mets and Williams had agreed to a three-year deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted that the guarantee was above $50MM, while Jon Heyman of The New York Post had the salary/bonus/deferral breakdown. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal was first on the assignment bonus.

Image courtesy of Wendell Cruz, Imagn Images.

Yankees Notes: Devin Williams, Kyle Tucker, Payroll

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The Yankees are interested in bringing free agent closer Devin Williams back to the Bronx. League sources told Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic that the team has discussed a reunion with Williams’ camp.

Williams is one of the top names on the closer market. He landed at No. 16 on our Top 50 Free Agents list, which put him second among relievers, behind only Edwin Diaz. The 31-year-old is expected to have many suitors, with the Reds and Red Sox linked to him last week, and the Mets, Tigers, and Giants joining the mix this week. The Dodgers and Marlins have also been connected to Williams.

New York sent Caleb Durbin and Nestor Cortes to Milwaukee for Williams in December 2024. He struggled in his first month with the team, losing the closer role by May. An injury to fill-in closer Luke Weaver allowed Williams to regain the role, and he pitched well in June and July. The trade deadline acquisition of David Bednar pushed Williams back into setup duty. He closed the year with his best stretch of the campaign, posting 13 scoreless innings from September 7 through the postseason.

Williams said he would “definitely be open” to returning to the Yankees back in October. As for whether being the closer would impact his next destination, Williams said it “depends on the scenario.” While Weaver is a free agent, New York still has Bednar and fellow trade deadline acquisition Camilo Doval under team control for next season.

Williams isn’t the only high-profile free agent on the Yankees’ radar. General manager Brian Cashman told reporters on Thursday, including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, that he’s been in contact with agent Casey Close on several players. That list of possible targets includes Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, Michael King, and former Yankee Paul Goldschmidt. Cashman also mentioned interest in Tatsuya Imai, who was posted by the Seibu Lions earlier this week. “We’re certainly engaging all these players in the marketplace,” Cashman said.

Tucker will likely have just as many suitors as Williams, perhaps more. Toronto is considered by some teams to be the favorite to land the star outfielder, but the Dodgers, Yankees, and Orioles have been linked to him. Given that he’s the big prize in free agency this offseason, additional teams are bound to come forward as potential candidates.

New York regained an outfielder when Trent Grisham accepted the qualifying offer, but lost one when Cody Bellinger opted out of his contract. Jasson Dominguez is penciled in alongside Grisham and Aaron Judge, but he hasn’t performed well enough to discourage the Yankees from going after a massive upgrade in Tucker. They could also re-up with Bellinger.

As far as paying for these potential acquisitions, Cashman was noncommittal about whether payroll would exceed $300MM. “I think it could go both ways. So it just depends on how things shake out and what opportunities present themselves,” he told reporters, including Hoch. FanGraphs’ RosterResource tool currently has the Yankees’ payroll at around $260MM next season. Grisham’s deal added about $22MM to the ledger, and he’s just the sixth-highest-paid player on the team next year. New York’s payroll was around $296MM this past season after topping $300MM in 2024.

A deal for Tucker, Schwarber, Williams, or any of the other marquee names will likely require a big commitment across many years. The Yankees already have several of those types of deals on the books between Judge, Max Fried, Gerrit Cole, and Carlos Rodon, who are all on large contracts through at least 2028. Cashman expressed confidence he could make it work, though. “The job right now is to find out what’s available, and those all have different price points,” Cashman said. “There could be cheap players that are available that are good, or there could be very expensive players that are available that are good.”

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images

Mets, Tigers, Giants Interested In Devin Williams

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The Mets have expressed interest in signing reliever Devin Williams, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Tigers and Giants are also interested, per Jon Morosi of MLB Network. It had previously been reported that roughly a dozen teams were in on Williams, including the Red Sox, Reds, Dodgers, and Marlins. The Mets, Tigers, and Giants can now be counted among his suitors.

Williams, 31, is coming off an uneven season for the Yankees. The Brewers traded the star reliever to New York in exchange for Nestor Cortes, Caleb Durbin, and cash considerations in December 2024. At the time, he was long established as an elite closer, having posted a 1.83 ERA across 235 2/3 innings for Milwaukee from 2019-2024. In that time, his 39.4% strikeout rate and 27.6% K-BB rate were fourth- and fifth-best among qualified relievers, respectively. Though he did walk 11.8% of hitters in that span, the elite strikeout numbers were more than enough to compensate. All told, Williams was worth 7.6 fWAR during his time in Milwaukee, which placed sixth among qualified relievers. Ryan Pressly, who ranked fifth ahead of Williams, was worth 8.0 fWAR but pitched 74 more innings.

The Yankees were surely hoping for more of the same from Williams in his final year before free agency. Instead, he posted a 4.79 ERA in 62 innings while being shifted in and out of the closer role due to his performance. His first 12 games of the season were abysmal, as Williams struck out an uncharacteristically low 20.0% of hitters across March and April while walking 16.0% and allowing an opposing batting line of .300/.420/.400. The strikeout and walk numbers returned to normal the rest of the way, but Williams continued to post uneven run prevention numbers, with an ERA of 0.93 in June followed by ERAs over 4.90 in July and August, then settling down to 3.72 in September and October. Though his contributions were still worth 1.4 WAR according to FanGraphs, the bottom-line results were clearly not what Williams was hoping for in his platform season.

That said, he is still garnering a lot of interest, largely due to his excellent peripheral stats. Despite the below-average ERA, Williams still got strikeouts at a rate of 34.7% in 2025, which was tied for eighth-best among qualified relievers. His 9.7% walk rate, while still higher than league average, was actually his best mark since 2020 and down from 12.5% in 2024. He also continued to induce groundballs 44.6% of the time, above the league average of 42.3% for relievers. His expected stats, including a 3.07 xERA and a 2.95 xFIP, also paint a much better picture than just his ERA. In terms of stuff, Williams’s signature changeup remained a plus pitch by run value, while his four-seam fastball velocity only declined slightly from 94.7 mph in 2024 to 94.1 mph this year.

Those signs point to Williams still being an elite closer, so the high amount of interest is hardly surprising. Among the three new teams mentioned, the Mets are an interesting case. Their president of baseball operations, David Stearns, is familiar with Williams due to their shared years in the Brewers organization. The Mets bullpen ranked 15th with a 3.93 ERA and 13th with a 22.8% strikeout rate in 2025. Owner Steve Cohen is clearly willing to spend big, and the pressure to win will be higher in 2026 after a lackluster 83-79 season and playoff miss this year.

Meanwhile, the Tigers bullpen posted a 4.05 ERA (17th in the league) but an 11.3% K-BB rate that ranked 27th. The team surely wants to capitalize on Tarik Skubal’s final year of team control, so their interest in Williams makes sense. As for the Giants, their bullpen was slightly better than Detroit’s but still below-average with a 12.8% K-BB rate (20th) this year. We at MLBTR rated Williams as the 16th-best free agent this offseason and predicted that he will sign a four-year, $68MM contract.

Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images

Reds, Red Sox Have Expressed Interest In Devin Williams

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The Red Sox and Reds are among roughly a dozen teams that have expressed early interest in free agent reliever Devin Williams, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya reported last night that the Dodgers had also shown interest, while Fish on First’s Kevin Barral linked the Marlins to Williams a few weeks ago.

Williams was one of the three to five best relievers in MLB throughout his time with the Brewers. He pitched to a 1.83 earned run average over parts of six seasons in Milwaukee. That included three straight sub-2.00 ERA showings between 2022-24. Among relievers with 100+ innings over that stretch, Williams trailed only Edwin Díaz and Félix Bautista with a 39.5% strikeout rate. The only real concern were the back fractures that cost him the first half of the ’24 season.

Milwaukee traded Williams to the Yankees before his final year of arbitration. He had the worst season of his career in the Bronx. Williams turned in a 4.79 ERA over 62 innings. He started the year poorly enough that he lost the closer role in April. Williams reclaimed it in June when Luke Weaver went on the injured list but scuffled again in July. The Yankees acquired David Bednar at the deadline to push Williams into a setup role for the remainder of the season.

While it was clearly an uneven season, there’s still reason to expect a return to form. Williams fanned an excellent 34.7% of batters faced while getting swinging strikes nearly 17% of the time. Those aren’t quite at the same level as his Milwaukee days, but they’re still top 15 marks in MLB. His 94.1 MPH average four-seam fastball speed was in line with his career levels. Williams continues to get ridiculous movement on the changeup/screwball that has been his signature pitch. Opposing hitters had a lofty .339 average on balls in play when runners were on base. Some teams could chalk that up as poor sequencing luck and continue to project Williams as a top 10 reliever moving forward.

The poor season meant the Yankees weren’t willing to risk Williams accepting a $22.025MM qualifying offer to return to the Bronx. MLBTR ranked his earning potential second among relievers behind Díaz, predicting that the strong peripherals would lead a club to offer him a four-year, $68MM deal. That’d require a team to overlook the unsightly ERA, though, so it’s certainly not out of the question that he’s forced to settle for a shorter-term contract. Robert Suarez, Kyle Finnegan and Pete Fairbanks are among other closers available on the free agent market.

Sammon heard from a few scouts who were divided between Williams and Suarez as the second-best free agent reliever after Díaz. It could lead clubs to have differing opinions on his market value. If Williams were to command a four-year deal, for instance, it’d be quite surprising if the Reds win the bidding. Cincinnati has spent in that range for mid-tier hitters but rarely spends big on relievers. Their two-year, $16MM deal for Emilio Pagán is their biggest signing of a pure reliever in the past decade. They did go to two years and $26MM for Nick Martinez, but he could step into the rotation as needed. Cincinnati could use a closer with Pagán returning to free agency, but they’d probably be a realistic suitor for Williams only if he takes a pillow contract.

The Red Sox also haven’t made many long-term bullpen investments, but they’re better positioned to offer a multi-year term at eight figure salaries. They signed Kenley Jansen for two years and $32MM a few seasons ago. They’ve given Aroldis Chapman successive $10.75MM and $13MM deals for 2025-26. Chapman will remain the closer, but Williams doesn’t seem wedded to getting a ninth-inning opportunity, so Boston could target him as their top right-handed setup arm.

MLBTR Podcast: Surprising Option Decisions, Qualifying Offers, And Paul DePodesta

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The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.

This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…

Check out our past episodes!

The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff.  Check out their Facebook page here!

Photo courtesy of Kiyoshi Mio, Imagn Images

Dodgers Have Interest In Devin Williams

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The Dodgers have shown interest in Devin Williams as they pursue a high-leverage righty reliever, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. They join the Marlins as teams known to be interested in the two-time All-Star.

Williams was one of the three to five best relievers in MLB throughout his time with the Brewers. He pitched to a 1.83 earned run average over parts of six seasons in Milwaukee. That included three straight sub-2.00 ERA showings between 2022-24. Among relievers with 100+ innings over that stretch, Williams trailed only Edwin Díaz and Félix Bautista with a 39.5% strikeout rate. The only real concern were the back fractures that cost him the first half of the ’24 season.

Milwaukee traded Williams to the Yankees before his final year of arbitration. He had the worst season of his career in the Bronx. Williams turned in a 4.79 ERA over 62 innings. He started the year poorly enough that he lost the closer role in April. Williams reclaimed it in June when Luke Weaver went on the injured list but scuffled again in July. The Yankees acquired David Bednar at the deadline to push Williams into a setup role for the remainder of the season.

While it was clearly an uneven season, there’s still reason to expect a return to form. Williams fanned an excellent 34.7% of batters faced while getting swinging strikes nearly 17% of the time. Those aren’t quite at the same level as his Milwaukee days, but they’re still top 15 marks in MLB. His 94.1 MPH average four-seam fastball speed was in line with his career levels. Williams continues to get ridiculous movement on the changeup/screwball that has been his signature pitch throughout his career. Opposing hitters had a lofty .339 average on balls in play when runners were on base. Some teams could chalk that up as poor sequencing luck and continue to project Williams as a top 10 reliever moving forward.

The poor season meant the Yankees weren’t willing to risk Williams accepting a $22.025MM qualifying offer to return to the Bronx. MLBTR ranked his earning potential second among relievers behind Díaz, predicting that the strong peripherals would lead a club to offer him a four-year, $68MM deal. That’d require a team to overlook the unsightly ERA, though, so it’s certainly not out of the question that he’s forced to settle for a shorter-term contract. Robert Suárez, Kyle Finnegan and Pete Fairbanks are among other closers available on the free agent market.

The Dodgers made the biggest free agent reliever move of last offseason. Their four-year, $72MM investment in Tanner Scott did not look good in the first season. Neither did bringing back Blake Treinen on a two-year deal or the one-year contract for Kirby Yates. Among their traditional relievers, the Dodgers were essentially down to Alex Vesia as their lone reliable late-game arm in the postseason.

Converted starters Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki were their top righty relievers in October. Both pitchers are expected to be back in the rotation mix next spring. General manager Brandon Gomes said this evening that the team “absolutely” still views Sasaki as a starter (link via Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register). Gomes nevertheless said the Dodgers don’t feel they need to land a top-tier reliever this offseason. He expressed optimism in a Scott bounce back, and they could get Brusdar Graterol and Brock Stewart back from injuries. Neither Graterol nor Stewart has shown much ability to stay healthy, though, so there’s presumably a measure of “GM speak” in Gomes downplaying the need for a high-octane arm.

Marlins Interested In Devin Williams

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Coming off a season where they made a surprise push towards contention and ultimately finished just four games out of a playoff spot with a 79-83 record, the Marlins look poised to try and take a step forward towards more serious contention this winter. That could mean looking to add, and reporting has already indicated that Miami will be active in the bullpen and position player markets as they seek upgrades. When it comes to the search for relief help, Kevin Barral of Fish On First reports that one name that Miami plans to target is two-time All-Star Devin Williams.

Williams, 31, has been one of the most successful relievers in the game ever since he won the NL Rookie of the Year award with the Brewers back in 2020. In parts of six seasons with Milwaukee, Williams made a case for himself as baseball’s best reliever with a 1.83 ERA and a 39.4% strikeout rate in 235 2/3 innings of work. He converted 87.2% of his save opportunities and his 2.66 SIERA with Milwaukee was the fourth-best figure in baseball among relievers with at least 200 innings of work between 2019 and 2024, trailing only Liam Hendriks, Edwin Diaz, and Josh Hader.

Ahead of his final season of team control, the Brewers made the decision last offseason to deal Williams to the Yankees in exchange for southpaw Nestor Cortes Jr. and infielder Caleb Durbin. Williams’s year in the Bronx did not go how anyone was expecting it to, however, as he struggled significantly for the first time in his career. Williams posted a lackluster 4.79 ERA in 62 innings for the Yankees. While the right-hander was in line to potentially land one of the largest free agent deals for a reliever in history this time last year, his tough stint in New York has significantly changed the expectations surrounding Williams’s expected contract.

That drop in market value for Williams could create an opportunity for the Marlins, who have never been among the league’s biggest spenders and surely view the situation as an opportunity to potentially bring in an elite reliever on a relative bargain. Despite his poor results with the Yankees, Williams posted strong peripherals that should offer Miami some confidence in investing in the right-hander. Among qualified relievers this year, Williams’s 2.68 FIP ranks 18th, his 2.67 SIERA ranks 15th, and his 34.7% strikeout rate was still the 8th-best figure in baseball.

All of those peripherals indicate Williams still has the ability of a star closer, and after a season where the Marlins spread save opportunities between nine different players they should certainly be able to offer Williams the ninth inning. That could make Miami a more attractive destination than some other teams that might have interested in Williams but can’t offer a clear path to the ninth inning. Williams recently gave a vague answer when asked about whether or not the ability to serve as a club’s closer would impact his decision-making in free agency, saying that it “depends on the scenario.”

Given Williams’s stature in the game and likely deflated price tag, the Marlins surely won’t be the only team interested in his services. He’s indicated a willingness to stick with the Yankees even after a tough year this season, and virtually every team in baseball tends to be in the market for relief help every winter. Looking at closer jobs around the game, the Braves are set to lose Raisel Iglesias to free agency, the Dodgers could be looking for a new long-term solution in the ninth inning after Tanner Scott’s struggles led them to turn to starter Roki Sasaki when closing out postseason games, and the Tigers were known to be looking for a veteran with closing experience last winter despite ultimately coming up short.

Devin Williams: Open To Reunion With Yankees

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Devin Williams endured a tumultuous season in the Bronx, but the free agent has expressed interest in returning to New York.  Williams told Bryan Hoch of MLB.com he’d “definitely be open” to rejoining the Yankees in free agency. “I really enjoyed my experience here. … There’s a lot to like about this city, but it took me some time to adjust.”

New York acquired Williams from Milwaukee this past offseason. The Yankees gave up left-hander Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin for a year of the elite closer’s services. The team’s previous stopper, Clay Holmes, bolted in free agency for a starting opportunity with the Mets. New York was able to replace Holmes with one of the premier relievers of the decade, though the move didn’t pan out as expected.

Williams earned a save against his former team on opening night. He gave up three base runners and needed 36 pitches to get three outs, but got the job done. Williams had a couple of uneven performances in the ensuing weeks, including an extra-inning loss against Pittsburgh, though none came in save situations. He locked down all four of his initial save chances. Williams coughed up a four-run lead on April 19 against Tampa Bay, leading to another extra-inning defeat. In his next appearance, Williams gave up three runs and recorded zero outs to blow his first save. The rough outing cost him the closing gig.

The next few months saw Williams work himself back into the late-inning mix after initially working in low-leverage spots. Luke Weaver earned six saves in May, but a hamstring strain cost him most of June. Williams returned to the closer role and went 12-for-13 on save chances from June through July. New York added a slew of relievers at the trade deadline, including a pair of closers in Camilo Doval and David Bednar. It was Bednar who would assume the role for New York, picking up 10 saves over the final two months of the season. He added two more saves in the playoffs.

Williams’ 4.79 ERA stands out as easily the worst of his seven-year MLB career, but he looked more or less like himself after regaining the closer’s role. Williams posted a 3.92 ERA with an elite 38.6% strikeout rate from June through the end of the regular season. He ripped off nine straight scoreless outings heading into the playoffs, then put up four more zeroes in the postseason. Williams averaged 94.1 mph on his fastball this year, which was down slightly from 2024 (94.7 mph), but right in line with 2023 (94.2 mph) and 2022 (94.1 mph).

The most encouraging sign for Williams, and maybe the biggest factor as he enters free agency, was durability. He made it through 2025 unscathed in the health department, leading to career highs in innings (62) and appearances (67). Williams missed the first four months of his final season in Milwaukee with stress fractures in his back. He was his usual dominant self when he returned, but the 21 2/3 innings he totaled were his fewest in a season since his rookie year.

Williams is entering a crowded reliever market. Proven closers Ryan Helsley and Raisel Iglesias are the headliners, along with Williams. Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez could join them if they opt out of their current contracts. Emilio Pagan and Shawn Armstrong are coming off career years as fill-in closers. Veterans like Kenley Jansen, Kirby Yates, and Kyle Finnegan have plenty of late-inning experience. Weaver might’ve earned himself a look as a closer after two strong seasons in New York.

Age is certainly on Williams’ side compared to the other available bullpen options. He’s now entering his age-31 season, making him one of the youngest notable free agent relievers. Williams is well-positioned to earn one of the longest and most lucrative contracts of the group, despite the hiccup to begin his New York tenure.

The Yankees will have Bednar and Doval under team control for next season, so they don’t have a strong need to reunite with Williams. Bednar’s ascension to the closer role after joining the team may also be a factor. Williams said it “depends on the scenario” regarding whether being the closer would impact his free agency decision.

With both Williams and Weaver potentially on the move, New York likely needs another piece or two to solidify the backend of the bullpen. The Yankees ranked just 23rd in bullpen ERA in 2025. They slipped to 26th after the trade deadline. Given their history of spending, the franchise will likely be in the mix for every notable name on the market.

Yankees Notes: Slater, Stanton, Williams

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Acquired from the White Sox at the trade deadline, Austin Slater made only two appearances in the pinstripes before he suffered a left hamstring strain.  Slater was placed on the 10-day injured list on August 5, and he’ll unfortunately be missing far more than just the 10-day minimum, as Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters (including The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner) that Slater will need 4-6 weeks of recovery time.

It’s a tough break for both Slater and the Yankees, as the nine-year veteran was expected to bring some needed right-handed hitting balance to New York’s outfield mix.  Cody Bellinger and Trent Grisham both hit from the left side and Jasson Dominguez is a switch-hitter, plus Aaron Judge is still limited to DH duty as he fully recovers from a right flexor strain.  The idea was that Slater would primarily platoon with Dominguez in left field, but that plan will now have to be put on hold until September.

Even if Slater had been healthy, Giancarlo Stanton was expected to get some outfield time in the wake of Judge’s injury, as the Yankees weren’t going to keep Stanton’s bat out of the lineup entirely.  Stanton’s return to the grass has come today, as the slugger is penciled in as the Yankees’ starting right fielder for today’s game with the Astros.  With left-hander Framber Valdez on the mound, the Yankees are utilizing most of their right-handed bats in the starting lineup, leaving Dominguez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Austin Wells on the bench.

It marks the first time since September 14, 2023 that Stanton has played a position other than designated hitter.  Multiple lower-body injuries limited Stanton’s time in the outfield, and even his move into a seeming full-time DH role came at a physical cost.  Stanton didn’t make his 2025 debut until June 16 as he was dealing with torn tendons in both elbows.

With all of this in mind, Stanton is expected to be used only sparingly in the outfield, since the Yankees naturally want to keep him healthy for the stretch drive.  Stanton has hit .268/.345/.528 with 10 homers over his 142 plate appearances this season, with a 139 wRC+ that would be his highest since the 2020 campaign.

New York needs all the help it can get as the club tries to get its season back on track.  The Yankees are only 19-30 over their last 49 games, dropping from first place in the AL East to just a half-game lead over the surging Guardians for the final AL wild card slot.  Relief pitching is one of the chief culprits for the Yankees’ slide, as the team’s bullpen 4.90 ERA since June 13 ranks 26th of the 30 big league teams.

The acquisitions of Camilo Doval, David Bednar, and Jake Bird at the trade deadline was supposed to stop the bleeding on the relief front, yet Bird has already been optioned to Triple-A and Doval and Bednar have each had some shaky moments in their brief stints as Yankees.  Devin Williams has also continued to struggle, and he picked up the loss by allowing three runs (two earned) during the 10th inning of yesterday’s 5-3 loss to the Astros.

After years as a relief ace with the Brewers, Williams now has a 5.73 ERA over 44 innings with New York.  To put it in perspective, Williams allowed only 48 total earned runs in 235 2/3 innings over his six seasons prior to 2025, but he has already been touched for 28 ER in his lone season with the Yankees.

Given these numbers, Kirschner opined that Williams might not even last the season in the Bronx, as the Yankees could opt to just release him in a few weeks once some other relievers (i.e. Fernando Cruz, Ryan Yarbrough) return from the IL.  Such a scenario would’ve seemed unthinkable heading into the 2025 season, and many of Williams’ secondary metrics are in line with his career norms.  It seemed like he had gotten on track during a dominant stretch from mid-May until the All-Star break, but Williams has a 10.38 ERA over his last 8 2/3 innings, and has allowed at least one earned run in each of his last five outings.

At the very least, it would seem like Williams can’t be trusted for any more high-leverage work.  (Even last night, he likely wouldn’t have been used in the 10th inning if other pitchers hadn’t been unavailable.)  A more extreme move like a release might hinge on how the rest of the bullpen is performing or if the Yankees feel they have enough depth, but as Kirschner notes, there is already virtually no chance New York would re-sign Williams in free agency this winter.  If the team is going to cut ties anyway and Williams may not even be a candidate for a postseason roster at this point, a release in September might not be out of the question.

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