ORLANDO — In a notable shift in New York’s baseball landscape, Devin Williams has switched allegiances from the Yankees to their city rivals, the Mets. Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman revealed that despite initial interest, the team never extended a formal offer to the talented reliever.
Cashman mentioned he had brief discussions with Williams’ agent and requested updates on the pitcher’s market status. However, despite these attempts, Cashman noted he did not receive any follow-up communications.
“I’m not saying he needed to,” Cashman remarked on Sunday night during the Winter Meetings held in Orlando.
When approached for a response to Cashman’s statements, a representative for Williams chose not to comment, according to the Daily News.
Williams ultimately secured a three-year contract with the Mets, valued at $51 million. This comes after a challenging season for the 31-year-old, who was twice removed from his role as closer for the Yankees. Plagued by a series of setbacks and blown saves, particularly in the season’s early stages, Williams concluded the year with a 4.79 ERA across 62 innings.
Originally acquired by the Yankees in an off-season trade with the Brewers, which saw Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin head the other way, Williams also played a pivotal role in abolishing the Yankees’ long-standing facial hair policy last spring. However, this off-field change did little to endear him to some fans during his struggles on the mound.
While Williams didn’t post great surface numbers last season, the two-time National League Reliever of the Year had strong free agent interest after maintaining impressive metrics. His xBA, Chase%, Whiff% & K% were all in the 95th percentile or better, and his Stuff+ was 114. His xERA (3.09) and FIP (2.68) were drastically better than his ERA, and he finished the year with 13 straight scoreless outings, including the playoffs.
Results aside, Williams has repeatedly said that he liked the way he threw the ball for most of last season. Cashman didn’t disagree with that evaluation.
“He had a handful of games that destroyed the overall numbers,” Cashman said. “I thought he pitched pretty close to what he’d always pitched in the years gone by.
“He was a weapon that [Aaron Boone] could deploy. He helped us. At the end of the day, I don’t disagree with how he would describe the season. So bringing him back, I wouldn’t have made the phone call if it wasn’t a possibility. We didn’t make an offer, but I did have that conversation.”
Williams wasn’t the only Yankees reliever to hit the open market this winter, as Luke Weaver remains a free agent. Cashman said he has spoken to the righty’s rep, though he didn’t say more than that.
The Yankees have several holes to fill in their bullpen, but they do have a closer in David Bednar, who was acquired from the Pirates last summer. Bednar would make free agent closers like Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez luxuries for a club with other needs, but Cashman wouldn’t rule anything out.
“Bednar is our guy, but my job is to be open-minded to see what more I can add,” he said.
