NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 25: Devin Williams #38 of the New York Yankees reacts after he is pulled from the game in the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Yankee Stadium on April 25, 2025 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Toronto Blue Jays defeated the New York Yankees 4-2. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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The New York Mets made a couple of surprising trades to fortify their bullpen this past season, but those didn’t pay off.
The team acquired high-leverage arms in Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers to pair with superstar closer Edwin Diaz in what it was hoping would be a surge to the playoffs following the trade deadline. Instead, the bullpen largely struggled and the Mets missed the postseason entirely.
Now the team has lost Diaz to free agency and it could be looking for an overhaul in the relief corps. As it assesses its options, ESPN’s Major League Baseball insider Jeff Passan has reported that it is targeting an award-winning closer who spent this past campaign with the New York Yankees.
“New York is in on Devin Williams, whose connections to those in the Mets organization, including president of baseball operations David Stearns, date to their time together with the (Milwaukee) Brewers,” Passan wrote. “Williams is coming off the worst season of his career with the Yankees, but his peripheral numbers were excellent and his stuff still graded out well-above-average.”
Williams would be a polarizing addition to any bullpen after this past season, which saw him endure several meltdowns on the mound for the Yankees after winning two Reliever of the Year Awards in his time with the Brewers. Williams was booed by Yankees fans while posting a harsh 4.79 ERA, but others believe he was better than his numbers suggested.
“It’s fair to wonder if Williams is post-peak, if a minor decline in velocity and swing-and-miss rate against his airbender means we’ll never see the best Milwaukee version of him again,” Mike Petriello wrote for MLB.com. “On the other hand, he was so good then that we might not need to. Williams didn’t pitch like a 4.79 ERA player in 2025. He won’t be treated like one on the market, either.”
With Williams seen as a strong bounceback candidate, the Mets could consider replacing Diaz with him at closer. But Passan reported that the team is also considering pairing the two together to help avoid the kind of bullpen struggles it endured this past season.
“Williams has suitors from coast to coast, though the Mets are mulling the opportunity to sign Diaz and Williams to head up a bullpen in need of total restructuring,” he reported.
After a tumultuous season in the Bronx, a new deal that brings Williams to Queens would be somewhat of a surprise. But pairing him with an elite and proven closer like Diaz could be the key to a return to his previous form.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterchawaga/2025/11/18/mets-target-yankees-polarizing-star-after-edwin-diaz-exit-insider/
