Yankees may have finally found the key to unlocking their disaster acquisition

When the New York Yankees traded for elite closer Devin Williams this offseason, expectations couldn’t have been higher.

He was dominant in Milwaukee, a two-time All-Star, and a proven ninth-inning anchor with a change-up few could touch.

In exchange, the Yankees gave up Nestor Cortes and promising infield prospect Caleb Durbin — a hefty but worthwhile price.

But through the early weeks of 2025, that trade has felt more like a liability than a luxury.

Williams posted a brutal 9.00 ERA over his first 10 innings, far from the dominant presence he was brought in to be.

Opposing batters weren’t just scraping hits — they were squaring up his best pitches with shocking regularity.

A drastic drop in effectiveness

Williams’ signature change-up — long considered one of the nastiest pitches in baseball — has been shockingly ineffective so far.

Opponents are hitting .240 against it with a .320 slugging percentage, numbers that used to be unthinkable against his best weapon.

His four-seam fastball, which allowed a .111 average and .250 slug last season, is now getting lit up at a .400 clip.

The slugging rate on that pitch has ballooned to .533, making even average hitters look like sluggers against him.

His strikeouts have plummeted from 15.78 per nine last season to just nine per nine in 2025.

Worse, he’s walking 7.20 batters per nine with a left-on-base rate under 43%, exposing the bullpen every time he enters.

Faced with a dilemma, Yankees manager Aaron Boone made a subtle but critical change earlier this week.

He removed Williams from high-leverage situations, shifting him into a setup role to give him space to reset.

That decision appears to be paying off — at least in the short term.

Williams has since thrown two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no signs of the jitters that plagued him earlier.

Sometimes, relievers don’t need an overhaul — they just need a moment to breathe and regain confidence.

Boone recognized that and created the right opportunity to rebuild from the inside out.

Williams isn’t finished, and the Yankees still view him as a long-term piece in the back of the bullpen.

His pedigree is too strong to ignore, and both his change-up and fastball have proven elite when he’s dialed in.

But the difference between dominance and disaster for closers is razor-thin, and it often starts with confidence.

By removing pressure, the Yankees have created a runway for Williams to rebuild one inning at a time.

If the progress continues, reclaiming the closer job won’t just be possible — it will feel inevitable.

The Yankees aren’t looking for a new closer.

They’re trying to fix the one they’ve got — the one they gave up real assets to acquire.

And they know that if they can get Devin Williams back to form, the entire bullpen takes a step forward.

It’s not about overhauling mechanics or changing his pitch mix — it’s about restoring belief in his own stuff.

That journey has started quietly — but it might be exactly what the Yankees needed all along.