Coming off an 82-80 season, it’s time for the Kansas City Royals to keep building their roster.
Following a 56-win season in 2023, the Royals made major strides in 2024. Signing Devin Williams could be a move that helps turn things around in Kansas City in 2026.
The Royals went from an extremely rough year in 2023 all the way to winning 86 games in 2024. During that season, Kansas City would fall to the New York Yankees in the playoffs, but in 2025, the Royals would win just 82 games and not make the playoffs at all.
Now, the Royals already had a solid bullpen last year, finishing with the 7th-best ERA in the MLB for relief pitchers. At the same time, the Royals need elite players, which is why they should be shooting for upside this free agency period.
While Williams is coming off a down year, there are a few pitchers out of the bullpen who will hit free agency with a higher ceiling. If the Yankees don’t want to pay Williams, given his struggles with the team in 2025, the Royals should come in and sign the former All-Star.
This is a PREDICTION, not a REPORT.
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Devin Williams Joining Kansas City Royals in MLB Free Agency
On the surface, Williams didn’t have a great year when you look at his stats. In 2025, Williams had -0.3 WAR, a 4-6 record, and a 4.79 ERA.
With that being said, Williams made the All-Star Game in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. At only 31 years old now, there’s a tremendous amount of upside that comes with just giving Williams a shot.
Not only that, but Williams looked a lot better than his basic stats would suggest. When it comes to his Baseball Savant metrics, Williams was in the 78th percentile for his Pitching Run Value, which was anchored by his 95th percentile Offspeed Run Value.
Going beyond that, Williams was in the 87th percentile for his xERA and 96th for xBA. Overall, it’s hard not to buy into a potential bounce-back.
Despite getting a bit older, all signs are pointing towards Williams still having a number of productive years ahead of him. The Royals need to jump at signing Williams because the Yankees will more than likely slightly undervalue him, given his lack of production.
How Devin Williams Fits with the Kansas City Royals
The Royals have a good team between players such as Bobby Witt Jr, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Jac Caglianone. If Caglianone can make that jump in 2026, this offense could be dangerous.
On the flip side, the Royals already have an elite closer in Carlos Estévez. While Williams was an elite closer when he was an All-Star, he lost that role with the Yankees in 2025.
If Williams stays in these lower-leverage situations to help him get his confidence back, that would be advantageous for everyone involved. Pairing Williams with Estévez could take this bullpen from good to elite.
Again, the bottom line is that the Royals need to start making moves for players who can get them over the top and take a big leap in 2026. Signing Williams doesn’t need to be the Royals’ number one priority, as that should be getting more offense.
When the Royals address their pitching, though, Williams should be at the top of their list, given the pure upside that he would bring to this organization.
Singing Williams would be a risk for the Royals, but based on the reasoning above, it’s a bet worth making.
Devin Williams Stats
After touching briefly on what Williams did last year, let’s go back to some of his other stats. Williams had a K/BB mark of 3.6 and a 1.129 WHIP.
In 2023, which was the last year Williams was an All-Star, he had 2.6 WAR, an 8-3 record, and a 1.53 ERA.
Expect a big year for Williams in 2026, and it would be worth it for the Kansas City Royals to try to sign him in MLB free agency.