Devin Williams was supposed to be a monstrous closer for the New York Yankees, but he has currently become a nightmare, blowing yet another game this season.
Williams has not met the expectations set by his resume, and despite a few months of improvement, he has begun to falter again.
It raises the question of whether Williams can handle the pressures of New York or if it’s time for the Yankees to move on from him during this upcoming offseason.
Before the 2025 season began, Williams was touted as one of the best closers in baseball who could shut the door on nearly anyone. According to FanGraphs, he ranked fourth amongst the top closers in the MLB from 2022 to 2024. He allowed a 1.66 ERA, 14.11 K/9, and 0.45 HR/9.
From 2022 to 2024, he allowed 26 earned runs throughout those two seasons. In 2025, he allowed 26 earned runs by the beginning of August.
Williams has not been the same player at all since the Bronx Bombers acquired him. Many are unsure if or when he will return to being the dominant closer he made himself out to be.
With Williams’ current outings, his ERA rose to 5.44. In previous years, his ERA would not have gone as high as 1.93. Fans believed that he just needed to be comfortable settling into New York. Throughout May and June, he posted an ERA of 1.45 over 18 2/3 innings pitched.
Williams’ performance from previous years was par for the course and what was expected of him when he was traded to the Bronx. Fans assumed that he would play like this for the rest of the season.
During his tenure with the Milwaukee Brewers, Williams’ strikeout percentage was around 40% through 141 innings throughout the last three seasons. While he was dealing with a back fracture for half of 2024, he was still dominant. With his current time with the Yankees, his strikeout percentage has dropped to below 30%.
Williams’ 2025 season is a confusing case that nobody can solve. It has now become a worrying case for the Yankees because of their optimism in him to be a dominant closer for them.
Williams could still be haunted by the Pete Alonso home run during the New York Mets/Brewers 2024 Wild Card Series, leading to this current spiral. Factoring that playing a full season again may also be too much for him, despite having an offseason to recover. Yankees fans can hope that he can get it together soon because the clock is ticking for their chances at a postseason run.
While Williams is the pitcher on the mound and is in complete control of the inning, he may not be the one for Yankees fans to entirely trust. Manager Aaron Boone brought him to the mound in back-to-back close game situations, which ended disastrously.
Williams notoriously struggled in late-inning game-saving situations throughout this season. Boone has put him out there in those pressure situations, which have almost always ended in losing fashion for the Yankees.
Throughout May and June, Williams transitioned from the closer role to a relief pitcher. This move contributed to his 1.45 ERA over those two months. The May and June stretch proves that non-pressure situations like throwing with a three-run lead or in the seventh inning have given him his confidence and skill set back.
The Yankees also have struggled offensively, most recently in the series against the Texas Rangers. While there are games where the offense can hit with lights-out power, there are other times when the bats are non-existent. This causes Boone to put Williams out in pressure situations when the rest of the bullpen needs their much-needed rest. While he has given up the lead or broken up a tie, the Yankees’ offense is also to blame for struggling to maintain a lead and place him in non-pressure innings.
Boone can now work with a newly built bullpen. Sending Williams out on the mound in back-to-back save situations was going to lead to inevitable backlash. With guys like David Bednar and Camilo Doval in the pinstripes, it’s an obvious move for Boone to put Williams back as a middle relief pitcher. It’s finally time to experiment with the new guys.
Williams was an excellent relief pitcher in years past for the Brewers. What’s happening now is a mystery to everyone, but it can be seen as him struggling in pressure situations. The 2024 postseason’s ending may still haunt him, and he needs to learn to perform better in relaxed or non-pressure situations.
How Williams plans to bounce back from these rough outings remains to be seen, but the first move that the Yankees need to make is to get him out of the closer spot.
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