Devin Williams is a two-time Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year award winner. As a two-time NL All-Star, the master of the airbender’s recent trade to the New York Yankees has left him scrambling. With a -0.8 WAR and an ERA north of 11, something has gone wrong with Devin Williams, and the Yankees need it fixed immediately.
“Everyone has their opinions,” Devin Williams says
Everyone is indeed entitled to their opinions, but no one knows what Devin Williams is going through. The struggles he’s facing in 2025 are among the most of his career, even though he hasn’t always stepped up when the lights shine the brightest. Williams had the attention of every baseball fan back in 2021 when he was announced to miss the upcoming playoffs due to a broken hand after he punched a wall. The high-leverage reliever decided that he was going to punch the wall with his throwing hand, a mistake he’ll never make again.
Last year in the playoffs, the Milwaukee Brewers were nearing an epic comeback against the New York Mets to get them out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in years. Devin Williams took it upon himself to get the Brewers to the next round, but he blew the save. In his postseason career, Williams is 0-1 with an ERA of 23.14.
The New York Yankees are 15-11, still good enough for 1st in the AL East. Currently, the Boston Red Sox are one and a half games back, while the Toronto Blue Jays are only two games behind. The AL East is one of the most competitive divisions in baseball, as even the last place Baltimore Orioles are only four games back on the Yankees. That’s the second smallest margin in baseball, only behind the AL West.
Yankees fans thought they got a good one with Devin Williams, but his numbers have been down across the board. Boasting an 0-2 record, the 30-year-old has just eight strikeouts in eight innings pitched. He’s issued seven walks in that time, a career-high number for the former National League Rookie of the Year. Williams has given up 12 runs on 12 hits, with 10 of the runs being earned. He does have four saves on the season, while the rest of the team has five saves combined.
With fans chanting “We Want Weaver,” it leaves Aaron Boone no choice but to at least give it a thought. Luke Weaver might be a year older, but he has played in 11 games this season and not given up a single run. Weaver has an incredible 13.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio, having only given up three hits in 13 innings of work. He’s coming off of a season where he had 22 holds, but maybe it’s time for Boone to change things up and let Weaver have a chance as the team’s closer.