The New York Yankees and New York Mets are crosstown rivals, and the rivalry got a new twist when Juan Soto left the Bronx for Queens last winter. Devin Williams, after a down year, is the latest Yankee to sign with the Mets.
Williams is a two-time All-Star and two-time National League Reliever of the Year. However, last offseason, he was traded to the Yankees and was not great. He lost the closer role multiple times and entered free agency in a different situation than many expected a year ago.
The Mets signed Williams to a three-year, $51 million deal, which clearly upset the Yankees’ fans. Williams called out his former team’s fan base on his Instagram story.
“For a bunch of people who didn’t want me back on your team, y’all sure are mad in the dm’s,” Williams wrote on his story.
The Yankees did reportedly have interest in bringing back Williams despite his subpar season. However, ultimately, his former general manager from his time with the Milwaukee Brewers, David Stearns, was able to get a deal done. While Williams did struggle, his underlying metrics gave some reason for optimism that he can pitch like an All-Star again.
Williams had the second-highest strikeout rate in the big leagues in the second half of the season, 39.3%, among pitchers with at least 25 innings pitched. Opponents still hit below .200 against him. The Mets are hoping to see better results next season, but Stearns has seen firsthand how dominant Williams can be.
Williams will likely be the setup man for Edwin Díaz if the Mets can re-sign him. If not, he has a chance to claim the ninth-inning role. Díaz and Willaism together would be a dominant pairing. Williams once thrived as the setup man for Josh Hader in Milwaukee and could do the same with Díaz.
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