Expect Devin Williams to draw a ton of attention from MLB teams as he’s one of the better high-leverage arms on the free agent market right now.
While a number of teams are expected to be interested in Williams, seeing him sign with the Toronto Blue Jays would be interesting.
Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors predicted that Toronto would be the ball club to land Williams this offseason: “The results clearly weren’t what the Yankees expected. That said, there will be teams that still feel Williams isn’t far away from the form that made him one of the top five relievers in the game…Understandably, Williams’ time in New York went poorly enough that the Yankees chose not to issue a qualifying offer.”
With the Blue Jays looking to build up their roster after having such a good year but falling short, let’s analyze if Williams is a fit for this team.
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Devin Williams Predicted to Sign With The Toronto Blue Jays
Last year, Williams had -0.3 WAR and a 4.79 ERA in 67 games. On Baseball Savant, though, Williams’ Offspeed Run Value was in the 94th percentile while his Fastball Run Value was in the 58th.
That would lead to Pitching Run Value in the 78th percentile, which is much better than what you would think by just looking at the box score stats.
Does Devin Williams Fit With The Toronto Blue Jays?
There’s not much debate in regard whether Williams will get another chance in a prominent role. Despite a disappointing year on the surface, it’s not as if Williams was awful last season. It also needs to be mentioned that Williams is 31 years old, so he should be able to bounce back.
As for the Blue Jays, their relievers had the 16th-best ERA (3.98) in the MLB regular season, which isn’t great. Of course, that doesn’t tell the full story, but it’s worth mentioning.
As of now, Jeff Hoffman is projected to be the Blue Jays’ closer in 2026. Last season, Hoffman had a 4.37 ERA, 0.5 WAR, and 33 saves in 71 games. Now, to be fair, Hoffman was an All-Star in 2024 with the Philadelphia Phillies, when he had 2.0 WAR, a 2.17 ERA, and 10 saves in 68 games.
At 32 years old, if the Blue Jays don’t believe in a bounce back for Hoffman, adding Williams would make sense. It’s also more than possible that one of them simply takes on a different role out of the bullpen.
Devin Williams Stats
In terms of stats, Williams has 8.7 WAR, a 2.45 ERA, and 86 saves over his seven-year career. The Blue Jays are in a tough spot, but it would make sense for them to sign Williams if possible.