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Yankees urged to re-sign Devin Williams
The New York Yankees are expected to pursue bullpen help, but the team could bring back a surprising candidate.
New York made a bold move to acquire Devin Williams last offseason from the Milwaukee Brewers. However, Williams struggled as the Yankees’ closer and ended up being removed from that role.
Yet, Williams did have success down the stretch and in the playoffs, and now Yankees insider Brendan Kuty of The Athletic urges New York to re-sign Williams.
“The Yankees need to put high-quality arms behind closer David Bednar and in front of lefty Tim Hill. Luke Weaver and Devin Williams are free agents,” Kuty wrote. “But would a reunion with either make sense? Williams, in particular, would seem like a good candidate to target in terms of upside and cost efficiency.
“Overall, he had a down season, but many of his advanced stats pointed to a right-hander with filthy stuff. Williams, 31, also closed out the season well. After Aug. 20, he had a 3.29 ERA (0.87 FIP) in 14 games, striking out 23 batters in 13 2/3 innings. Push the sample back to Aug. 10, and he struck out 34 of the final 70 batters he faced. After the Yankees’ final game of the playoffs, Williams said he would be open to returning to New York City, which he became much more acclimated to as the season continued.”
New York re-signing Williams would be a bit of a surprise, but if he pitches like he did in the second half, he’d be a solid set-up man for the Yankees’ bullpen.
Williams finished the year going 4-6 with a 4.79 ERA in 67 games last season.
Williams Open to Re-Signing With Yankees
After New York was eliminated by the Toronto Blue Jays, Williams said he would like to return to the Yankees.
Williams enjoyed his time with the Yankees and is open to returning to the Bronx, but as of right now, he has yet to sign an extension.
“At first it was a challenge, but I’ve grown to love being here,” Williams said. “I love this city. I love taking the [subway] train to the field every day, I really enjoyed my experience here. … There’s a lot to like about this city, but it took me some time to adjust.”
Williams felt like he really adjusted to play in New York as the season went on and is open to pitching for the Yankees again.
“I played in the smallest market in the league (in Milwaukee), to the biggest market in the league,” Williams said. “I drove to the field every day; it took me 10 minutes to get there in Milwaukee. There’s just a lot of life stuff that’s an adjustment. I got here [to New York] a day before the season started and had to figure out my routine on the fly. The number of [media] people that want to talk to you, it was different. But I feel like I adjusted pretty well.”
Williams is a two-time All-Star and two-time NL Reliever of the Year.
New York Won’t be Rebuilding
Although the Yankees had a disappointing season, New York still plans to be aggressive this offseason.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said the team won’t rebuild as the focus is on winning the World Series.
“There’s no indication (a rebuild) is something that should be considered,” Cashman told The Athletic. “We have a farm system that is producing. We have quality major leaguers winning MVPs and potentially getting Cy Young Award votes, and we have the best record in the American League (tied with Toronto at 94-68), and we have Gerrit Cole coming back, along with other guys. I don’t understand how a rebuild could even be considered.”
New York hasn’t won the World Series since 2009.
Cole Shelton Cole Shelton covers the NHL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has covered pro and college sports since 2016, including bylines at BJ Penn, USA Today, SB Nation, Rotowire, Canadian Baseball Network and more. More about Cole Shelton
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