The Devin Williams trade has been one of the biggest flops in recent New York Yankees history.
Williams, once one of the most dominant relievers in baseball, was acquired by the Yankees from the Milwaukee Brewers for infielder Caleb Durbin and pitcher Nestor Cortes. Williams was supposed to shore up the ninth inning and give New York a dependable, elite option at the end of games. Instead, the right-hander has posted a 5.60 ERA in 49 games this season and has bounced between the ninth inning and low-leverage situations.
The Yankees have given Williams almost every chance to reclaim the ninth inning spot. Now, it’s almost impossible to imagine him back in that spot again this season. And it’s setting up for what should be a disappointing offseason for a pitcher who could have been in position to land one of the richest contracts for a reliever in baseball history.
Who could be involved? Here are a few options.
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Los Angeles Dodgers
Before being traded to the Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers were one of the teams that talked to the Brewers about Williams.
Of course, nothing happened. Los Angeles later went on to sign Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates, assembling what they had hoped would be a super bullpen. Instead, that bullpen has also cratered, and left many questions heading into the final stretch of the regular season.
Williams is highly likely to sign a one-year contract to re-establish his value, and what better place to do that than the Dodgers? They have a history of signing relievers to one-year contracts. They have shown previous interest in Williams. Maybe that’s a partnership the two sides could revisit in the offseason?
Milwaukee Brewers
Wouldn’t that be something if the Brewers traded Williams and then signed him back as a free agent?
I would call this an extreme longshot, but hey, who knows? The Brewers know Williams well and he knows the organization well. If he wants the best chance at re-establishing his value, perhaps Milwaukee is the place for him. Again, I can’t see this happening. But I’ve been surprised before.
A small-market team
This is a bit of a cop-out answer, but let me explain. In Milwaukee, Williams’ time with the organization ended after allowing a season-ending home run to Pete Alonso in the Wild Card round. His opponent, of course, was the New York Mets. Now, he plays in New York with the Yankees.
Playing in New York is tough in itself. Playing in New York fresh off of that postseason heartbreak? That’s a very difficult position for any player.
Perhaps signing with a small-market team such as, say, the Tampa Bay Rays would make sense for Williams. It would give him another chance at the postseason while also playing in a low-pressure environment where he doesn’t have millions of eyeballs scrutinizing every pitch.
But yes, even with such a down season, Williams will have many teams interested. A reliever of his caliber on the price of a one-year contract is not often available. And I expect the soon-to-be 31-year-old to land a nice deal that would allow him the chance for free agency after the 2026 season.