Yankees Could Make Bold Move With $8.6 Million Pitcher

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Yankees pitcher Devin Williams has struggled, and his grip on the closer’s job could be loosening.

The New York Yankees find themselves in a mini slump, as they suffered their third loss in the past four games against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night. Once again, star closer Devin Williams struggled with the game on the line, as he blew a save opportunity by allowing Toronto to score three runs in the top of the ninth inning, turning a 2-1 Yankees lead into a 4-2 deficit that they were ultimately unable to overcome.

Williams has not enjoyed a strong start to the season with his new squad, but he was handed the ball by manager Aaron Boone with a one-run lead in the ninth inning. He promptly allowed a single to George Springer before hitting Andres Gimenez with a pitch. Alejandro Kirk followed up by hitting a go-ahead two-run double, leading to Boone pulling Williams from the game after facing just three batters as a chorus of boos rained down from Yankees fans in the stands.

Devin Williams Status as Yankees Closer Up in the Air

After getting picked up in an offseason trade with the Milwaukee Brewers, Williams has been a complete mess early on this season with New York. In 10 outings, Williams has struggled mightily, as he’s allowed 10 earned runs over eight innings of work, good for a hideous 11.25 earned run average. Furthermore, Williams has just eight strikeouts, but he’s given up seven walks, resulting in him earning just four saves to this point.

With last year’s closer, Luke Weaver, dealing as the setup man in front of Williams, Boone suddenly finds himself with a tough choice. He could either stick with the struggling Williams, or turn to Weaver and give Williams some time to figure things out. After this loss to the Blue Jays, Boone admitted that he’s going to have to consider what to do with the closer position as Williams continues to labor through the start of the 2025 campaign.

“We’ll see,” Boone said of Williams’ status as New York’s closer. “We’ll have a talk through that stuff. This is raw right now. We want to do everything we can to get him right because we know how good he is and how valuable he’s going to be for us.”

Should Devin Williams Remain the Yankees Closer?

Elsa/Getty Will Aaron Boone make a decision at closer amid Devin Williams’ struggles?

While Williams has struggled, Weaver has been spotless early on in the new season. In 11 outings, Weaver has yet to allow a single run in 13 innings. He’s given up just three hits and five walks during this stretch, while striking out 13 batters and racking up a pair of saves. Simply put, he’s looked like the pitcher the Yankees were hoping Williams would be when they acquired him in the aforementioned trade with the Brewers over the offseason.

Williams has a track record of being one of the top relief pitchers in the league over the past few seasons, and he’s fresh off three straight seasons of posting a sub-two ERA with Milwaukee. There’s no doubt he’s struggling right now, though, and it looks like he could benefit from being used in some lower-leverage situations for the time being. The Yankees will be back in action against the Blue Jays on Sunday for a doubleheader after their Saturday contest was postponed

Owen Crisafulli Owen Crisafulli is a Breaking News Writer at Heavy. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management and for a while ran his own sports website. Sports are his passion, and he thoroughly enjoys writing about thoughts and opinions that are related to the game. He has been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston and loves discussing all topics surrounding those teams. More about Owen Crisafulli