{"id":52527,"date":"2025-05-02T14:32:53","date_gmt":"2025-05-02T14:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527"},"modified":"2025-05-02T14:32:53","modified_gmt":"2025-05-02T14:32:53","slug":"yankees-may-have-finally-found-the-key-to-unlocking-their-disaster-acquisition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527","title":{"rendered":"Yankees may have finally found the key to unlocking their disaster acquisition"},"content":{"rendered":"
When the New York Yankees traded for elite closer Devin Williams this offseason, expectations couldn\u2019t have been higher.<\/p>\n
He was dominant in Milwaukee, a two-time All-Star, and a proven ninth-inning anchor with a change-up few could touch.<\/p>\n
In exchange, the Yankees gave up Nestor Cortes and promising infield prospect Caleb Durbin \u2014 a hefty but worthwhile price.<\/p>\n
But through the early weeks of 2025, that trade has felt more like a liability than a luxury.<\/p>\n
Williams posted a brutal 9.00 ERA over his first 10 innings, far from the dominant presence he was brought in to be.<\/p>\n
Opposing batters weren\u2019t just scraping hits \u2014 they were squaring up his best pitches with shocking regularity.<\/p>\nCredit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
A drastic drop in effectiveness<\/h2>\n
Williams\u2019 signature change-up \u2014 long considered one of the nastiest pitches in baseball \u2014 has been shockingly ineffective so far.<\/p>\n
Opponents are hitting .240 against it with a .320 slugging percentage, numbers that used to be unthinkable against his best weapon.<\/p>\n
His four-seam fastball, which allowed a .111 average and .250 slug last season, is now getting lit up at a .400 clip.<\/p>\n
The slugging rate on that pitch has ballooned to .533, making even average hitters look like sluggers against him.<\/p>\n
His strikeouts have plummeted from 15.78 per nine last season to just nine per nine in 2025.<\/p>\n
Worse, he\u2019s walking 7.20 batters per nine with a left-on-base rate under 43%, exposing the bullpen every time he enters.<\/p>\n
Boone makes the call to shake things up<\/h2>\n
Faced with a dilemma, Yankees manager Aaron Boone made a subtle but critical change earlier this week.<\/p>\n
He removed Williams from high-leverage situations, shifting him into a setup role to give him space to reset.<\/p>\n
That decision appears to be paying off \u2014 at least in the short term.<\/p>\n
Williams has since thrown two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no signs of the jitters that plagued him earlier.<\/p>\n
Sometimes, relievers don\u2019t need an overhaul \u2014 they just need a moment to breathe and regain confidence.<\/p>\n
Boone recognized that and created the right opportunity to rebuild from the inside out.<\/p>\nCredit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Reclaiming the closer role isn\u2019t off the table<\/h2>\n
Williams isn\u2019t finished, and the Yankees still view him as a long-term piece in the back of the bullpen.<\/p>\n
His pedigree is too strong to ignore, and both his change-up and fastball have proven elite when he\u2019s dialed in.<\/p>\n
But the difference between dominance and disaster for closers is razor-thin, and it often starts with confidence.<\/p>\n
By removing pressure, the Yankees have created a runway for Williams to rebuild one inning at a time.<\/p>\n
If the progress continues, reclaiming the closer job won\u2019t just be possible \u2014 it will feel inevitable.<\/p>\n
Betting on a turnaround, not a replacement<\/h2>\n
The Yankees aren\u2019t looking for a new closer.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re trying to fix the one they\u2019ve got \u2014 the one they gave up real assets to acquire.<\/p>\n
And they know that if they can get Devin Williams back to form, the entire bullpen takes a step forward.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not about overhauling mechanics or changing his pitch mix \u2014 it\u2019s about restoring belief in his own stuff.<\/p>\n
That journey has started quietly \u2014 but it might be exactly what the Yankees needed all along.<\/p>\n
Popular Reading<\/h3>\n
Yankees\u2019 top prospect continues to excite with excellent start in 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After a rocky start, the Yankees may have found the right formula to help their prized bullpen addition rebound. Devin Williams needs more…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":52528,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52527","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb"],"yoast_head":"\n
Yankees may have finally found the key to unlocking their disaster acquisition - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Yankees may have finally found the key to unlocking their disaster acquisition - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After a rocky start, the Yankees may have found the right formula to help their prized bullpen addition rebound. Devin Williams needs more...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-02T14:32:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-02T213239.794.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrThanh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527\",\"name\":\"Yankees may have finally found the key to unlocking their disaster acquisition - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-02T213239.794.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-05-02T14:32:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-02T14:32:53+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-02T213239.794.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-02T213239.794.jpg\",\"width\":900,\"height\":900},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Yankees may have finally found the key to unlocking their disaster acquisition\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec\",\"name\":\"MrThanh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrThanh\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Yankees may have finally found the key to unlocking their disaster acquisition - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Yankees may have finally found the key to unlocking their disaster acquisition - NEWS USA","og_description":"After a rocky start, the Yankees may have found the right formula to help their prized bullpen addition rebound. Devin Williams needs more...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-05-02T14:32:53+00:00","og_image":[{"width":900,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-02T213239.794.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MrThanh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrThanh","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527","name":"Yankees may have finally found the key to unlocking their disaster acquisition - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-02T213239.794.jpg","datePublished":"2025-05-02T14:32:53+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-02T14:32:53+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-02T213239.794.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/avtvip-2025-05-02T213239.794.jpg","width":900,"height":900},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=52527#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Yankees may have finally found the key to unlocking their disaster acquisition"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/850fd1b8bcb1d322b7f0a04b3d2f18ec","name":"MrThanh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8c8f2d90ff2a21a61a5e6bc0619622a5021fc65353885d9d7b3db1c8c7c1ca8d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrThanh"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=6"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52527"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52527\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52529,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52527\/revisions\/52529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/52528"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Yankees](\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1220,height=813,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MLB-Milwaukee-Brewers-at-New-York-Yankees-devin-williams-25782783.jpg\")
![\"Yankees](\"https:\/\/empiresportsmedia.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=1220,height=849,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MLB-New-York-Yankees-at-Pittsburgh-Pirates-devin-williams-25847285.jpg\")