Yankees Linked to $64 Million Mets Star as Devin Williams Replacement

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When the New York Yankees acquired Devin Williams during the offseason, the hope was for him to continue being one of the top relievers in Major League Baseball, if not the best.

There was a strong argument to be made entering the year that Williams was the best closer in the league, evident by his two All-Star appearances and two Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year Awards.

Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case throughout the 2025 campaign, with Williams throwing the baseball at a very below-average level for his sake. He owns a 5.01 ERA, and while he’s struck out 71 hitters in 50.1 innings, he’s often missed middle too much, and has blown multiple games for the Yankees.

Could the Yankees Secure Mets Star Reliever?

As the New York Yankees look to make moves during the offseason, they’ll have to consider one with Williams. The right-hander is set to hit the free agency market, and many don’t expect him to come back.

When looking at potential options for the Yankees to pursue in free agency, Rucker Haringey of FanSided named Edwin Diaz of the New York Mets as a potential option, which would only replace Williams even more than what the Yankees did at the trade deadline.

“The Mets have made a number of big offseason moves over the past several seasons. Some might even say they’d overshadowed the Yankees in this regard. That only adds to the potential intrigue of the Yankees going hard after Mets’ closer Edwin Diaz in free agency. New York hoped that trading for Devin Williams would solve their issues in the ninth-inning but he’s been a major disappointment. Both he and Luke Weaver are hitting the open market which opens up a major void at closer for Boone and his coaching staff.

“Landing a 31-year-old who has the sort of dominant stuff Diaz possesses could be the perfect solution. He has the sort of strikeout arsenal the Yankees need to deploy in the postseason. Stealing him away from their crosstown rival would only be an added bonus for Cashman and his front office. Diaz is the best closer available in free agency not named Aroldis Chapman which makes him an obvious target for the Yankees,” he wrote on Monday.

Devin Williams Could Look for Change of Scenery

During the trade deadline, the New York Yankees did what they had to do, making a trade for Jake Bird, David Bednar, and Camilo Doval. While Doval and Bird have struggled, with Bird in Triple-A, this was a telling sign that they didn’t trust Williams as much as they likely did when entering the season.

Adam Weinrib of FanSided believes the writing is already on the wall for Williams, adding that he expects him not to be with the team next year.

If they added someone like the New York Mets closer, that would all but guarantee that Williams wouldn’t return.

“Relievers are inherently volatile, and while there’s been plenty of good with Williams in 2025 (54 Ks in 41 1/3 innings pitched, surprisingly low 1.137 WHIP), the Yankees’ most surprising trade of last offseason already felt like a one-year engagement before the trade deadline,” Weinrib noted . “Now, with two high-profile options with closer experience arriving in Bednar (controlled through 2026) and Doval (through 2027), the Yankees are highly unlikely to even go through a song-and-dance with Williams this offseason, though they might risk tying the qualifying offer to him in order to receive another draft pick when he departs.”

Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan