A surprising new rumor claims that despite a hugely disappointing debut season in the Bronx, the New York Yankees are interested in bringing back reliever Devin Williams.
Like every offseason, the Yankees made several notable splashes via trades last year. One of the most notable and surprising was the trade for two-time All-Star closer Devin Williams. After Clay Holmes fell apart late in the season, getting a proven veteran closer became a priority, and it seemed like New York answered that concern perfectly.
However, Williams’ first season outside Milwaukee was a disaster. In March and April, he posted a 9.00 ERA, and that dropped to a still-ugly 4.22 in May. The awful start to the year led to him being demoted from the closer role, and the Yankees eventually traded for Pittsburgh Pirates’ ninth-inning expert David Bednar.
It sure looked like Williams would be one-and-done in the Bronx. Well, maybe not. According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, “the Yankees and the camp for free agent reliever Devin Williams recently discussed the potential for a possible reunion.”
Why would the Yankees want to bring back Devin Williams?
After finishing the season with a 4.79 ERA and just 18 saves, it is understandable why Yankees fans are under the impression that Williams is just another big-name player who couldn’t handle the New York spotlight. Bringing him back for more money and years doesn’t seem to make much sense.
However, the seven-year veteran is garnering a lot of interest in MLB free agency because many teams around the league believe 2025 was an outlier. Despite his poor ERA, he still had a 2.68 FIP and 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
“He should be viewed as someone who can be an elite option,” a high-ranking NL club official told The Athletic last week at the general manager meetings.
The Cincinnati Reds and Los Angeles Dodgers are two of the many teams reportedly in pursuit of Williams this offseason. A recent rumor suggested the St. Louis native would prefer to pitch for a team in the Midwest.
