Free Agent Closer Market Solidifying As Mets Sign Devin Williams

Well, the closer section of this year’s MLB free agent market appears to be falling in line, with the Mets signing Devin Williams to a three-year, $51 million deal a day after the Orioles inked Ryan Helsley to a two-year, $28 million pact, which was covered here yesterday.

Williams got an extra year at a slightly higher AAV, probably because the Mets can afford the term and the salary a little more than the O’s can. The two pitchers’ track records and overall profiles are actually quite similar. Both are entering their age 31 season. I consider both to be average to somewhat above average closers, with Williams’ ceiling likely a little higher. His changeup is a clear wipeout offering when it’s working.

Williams brings high-end quality – with some risk – more than innings bulk. A Brewer through 2024 before moving to the Yankees last season, he has also logged considerable time as a setup man. This late-inning role flexibility could be something that will come in handy in Queens. (More on that later.) But despite being used in setup roles quite often, his 2025 innings total of 62 represented a career high.

When he’s at his best (like he was in an injury-shortened 2024, when he dealt with stress fractures in his back) he manages contact well while missing an astounding number of bats. He’s utterly unhittable when he’s on top of his fastball and he’s consistent with his arm slot on his change.

But small sample sizes can bite you when you’re a closer. He blew up in the 2024 postseason, allowing a season-ending homer to Pete Alonso, and honestly it looked like he carried that over mentally into 2025. He allowed 13 earned runs in his first 11 2/3 innings as a Yankees largely due to command issues before settling in the rest of the way. His seasonal numbers still wear that April-May hurt, but a typically superb K rate show that a dominator is still in there, and the Mets are betting he’ll be that guy from the jump next season.

The contract has a couple of quirks in it. $5 million per year is deferred into the future, bringing the AAV a little closer to Helsley’s. He also receives a $1 million trade kicker if he is dealt during the contract term.

The elephant in the room is the remaining high end closer on the free agent market – Edwin Diaz, long a Met mainstay. The talk around the game is that the Mets are still in on him, with the Dodgers likely to be a chief competitor for his services. Williams’ new annual salary would seem to be a line in the sand – it seems as if Diaz should now command somewhere in the $18-20 million per year range. He turns 32 just before next season begins, and though he’s had injury issues of his own over the years, his usage rate has been heavier and more consistent than Williams’. Diaz is likely looking for four years, but might wind up settling in the three-year, $60 million range.

The Mets (and Dodgers, for that matter) are obviously operating in a different financial area code than most clubs. But double-dipping at the deep end of the closer market, while it might make them a bit better on paper, does nothing to address the area of the club that failed them in 2025 – their starting rotation. The likes of Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Michael King and Japanese import Tatsuya Imai remain at the top of the starter market, and they will not come cheaply. As deep as the Mets’ pockets might be, even they have a budget, and spending nearly $40 million on a pair of pitchers who might not combine to give you 100 innings would seem to be quite a gamble.

Something else to file away about the Mets – they currently have a glut of infielders that suggests they might be one of the more active clubs on the winter trade market. They’ve already swapped LF Brandon Nimmo to Texas for 2B Marcus Semien, and currently employ infielders Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Jeff McNeil with only one or at most two jobs to split among them. And just like last year, I’ll believe that 1B Pete Alonso leaves when I see it. On top of it all, they have one of the more impressive groups of MLB-ready (or close to it) minor league prospects in the game. You aren’t going to be able to identify the 2026 Mets without a program.