Devin Williams entered free agency with opportunities to sign with clubs as a clear-cut closer. But the right-hander agreed to a three-year, $51 million deal with the New York Mets this week knowing the ninth inning could go to Edwin Diaz if the All-Star closer returns to Queens in free agency.
"I think it's just a good situation," Williams said on a video call with reporters Friday. "If he comes back, I think we're going to have a really good back of the 'pen. More good arms is always a good thing. That's really it."
Daz opted out of his contract last month with two years and $38 million remaining determined to secure another multi-year deal approaching the five-year, $102 million pact he signed with the Mets after the 2022 season. The Mets remain interested in a reunion, sources tell ESPN, but Williams gives them a proven backup plan, which could dampen the Mets' willingness to meet Diaz's demands.
If Daz returns to the Mets, Williams would assume a setup role. It's a familiar job. The 31-year-old Williams burst onto the scene with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2020, winning NL Rookie of the Year as a setup man for closer Josh Hader. He thrived in the role until Hader was traded in July of 2022, an unexpected move that elevated Williams to closer and helped plummet the Brewers from first place in the NL Central to out of the postseason.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns ran the Brewers' front office at the time. He left the organization after the 2023 season while Williams continued shining in the ninth inning in Milwaukee, posting a 1.46 ERA with 50 saves in 68 games between 2023 and 2024 -- his first two full seasons as a closer.
"I'm familiar with the way that he wants the organization to run," Williams said of Stearns. "The way they want to do things and their process. I think it's another familiarity for me so it's all comfortable.'
Last winter, the Brewers, unwilling to re-sign Williams at his projected premium price in free agency, traded Williams to the New York Yankees. Williams arrived in the Bronx as the closer, but he struggled out of the gate and lost the job by the end of April. He became closer again in early June and lost the job again after the trade deadline when the Yankees acquired David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates and moved him into the role.
Overall, it was not the platform year Williams and the Yankees expected. He oscillated between ugly and dominant stretches, concluding the year on a high note with 13 scoreless innings over his final 13 outings from Sept. 7 through the postseason. He finished the regular season with a bloated 4.79 ERA, but his peripheral numbers were not far off his usual elite form. Williams lamented mechanical issues and pitch selection for his dismal outings -- he was charged with multiple earned runs in 10 of his 67 appearances.
Famously a two-pitch pitcher with a fastball and his unique Airbender changeup, Williams said he is tinkering with a cutter and a gyro slider with the goal of expanding his arsenal with a pitch that moves glove side. He said adding to his repertoire is "something that I felt I needed to do for a while" and he's worked on the pitches for years. Now it's about using one of the offerings -- or both -- in games.
"Seeing if I can add those to what I do and give myself a little more breathing room with the fastball and changeup," Williams said.
