Right-handed closer Devin Williams and the New York Yankees agreed on a one-year, $8.6 million deal on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration, according to a source. The Yankees acquired Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason, and he will be their undisputed closer to begin the 2025 campaign. The 30-year-old did miss the entire first half of last season while recovering from back surgery, but when he returned, he was the same lights-out closer for the Brewers to finish the year. The former second-round pick by the Brewers in 2013 has been one of the most dominant closers in baseball the last three years, posting a combined 1.66 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 65 saves, 221 strikeouts and 69 walks in 141 relief innings. There may be some injury concerns surround Williams, but he's a no-doubt top-five fantasy closer with the Yankees.
Unsurprisingly, New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that right-handed reliever Devin Williams will serve as the team's closer next season. This was fully expected when the Yankees acquired Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers this offseason. The 30-year-old two-time All-Star will have an even higher fantasy ceiling as an elite closer heading into 2025 now that he's in the Bronx. The former second-round pick by the Brewers in 2013 had a pristine 1.73 ERA and 0.96 WHIP with 51 saves in 119 1/3 innings pitched for the Brewers in 2022 and 2023. He got a late start to the 2024 season after having back surgery and threw only 21 2/3 frames in the regular season, but he was lights-out again with a 1.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 14 saves and 38 strikeouts. Williams will be highly coveted as a top fantasy close. His arrival in the Bronx will push Luke Weaver into the eighth-inning setup role.
Former Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams said he was a bit surprised when he learned he was traded to the New York Yankees this offseason. However, Williams called it "a tremendous honor" to join the Yankees after he initially thought he'd be dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 30-year-old right-hander was sent to the Yankees in exchange for left-hander Nestor Cortes, second base prospect Caleb Durbin and cash considerations last weekend. Williams got a late start in 2024 while recovering from a back injury that required surgery, and although he only threw 21 2/3 innings in the regular season, he returned to lights-out form, posting a 1.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 38 strikeouts and 14 saves. The two-time All-Star should immediately take over closing duties from Luke Weaver in the Bronx and will have even more fantasy upside as an elite closing option in 2025.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the New York Yankees have traded for Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Devin Williams. In exchange, the Brewers are acquiring infield prospect Caleb Durbin and starting pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. Williams has operated as the closer in Milwaukee for the majority of the past three summers. Last season, he missed the opening four months of the campaign due to a back injury but returned to his elite form during the second half. Across 21 2/3 innings of work, the right-hander held a stellar 1.25 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP while tallying 14 saves. Under the hood, he generated an impressive 43.2% K rate and allowed hard contact at an excellent 32.4% rate. In addition, he also boasted a 2.11 xERA and .143 xBA. In 2023, Williams tallied a career-high 36 saves while carrying a 1.53 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. Fantasy managers should expect Williams to operate as a bona fide ninth-inning option in the Bronx and be in a great position to lead the sport in saves pitching on a competing team. Durbin will likely compete for a spot on the Opening Day roster, following a successful Arizona Fall League showing, while Cortes should have a consistent spot in their rotation.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Devin Williams is still in trade conversations. With Williams projected to earn $7.7 million in his final year of arbitration before becoming a free agent, the Brewers may opt to move off the superstar closer due to their minimal payroll flexibility. With Clay Holmes agreeing to a $38 million contract with the New York Mets, Williams could be in store for a massive payday, given his elite production throughout his career. The 30-year-old missed the first half of the season due to back fractures but returned to his typical ninth-inning role in the second half and posted a 1.25 ERA and 0.97 WHIP with 14 saves. Under the hood, he generated a near-perfect .143 xBA with a 43.2% K rate. Even with the possibility of a trade, fantasy managers should view Williams as a top relief pitcher in all formats heading into the 2025 campaign.
The Milwaukee Brewers plan to keep closer Devin Williams until at least the All-Star break in the summer of 2025 before re-evaluating whether to keep him or trade him. The Brewers declined Williams' $10 million club option for next season but remains with Milwaukee as he heads into his final year of arbitration eligibility. A back injury kept the 30-year-old right-handed reliever out for the entire first half of 2024, but when he returned in late July, he was one of the best ninth-inning men in the league. Williams had a 1.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 14 saves, 38 strikeouts and 11 walks in 21 2/3 innings pitched during the regular season. As long as he stays with the Brew Crew, he should be considered an elite closing option for fantasy managers. Whether Milwaukee trades him next summer will depend on where they stand record-wise and Williams' trade market.
The Milwaukee Brewers declined closer Devin Williams' 2025 club option for $10.5 million on Sunday, according to a source. Williams will instead receive a $250,000 buyout. He will remain with the Brewers and will be in his final year of salary arbitration while expected to make $8-9 million in 2025. Williams will also be a trade candidate this winter. The 30-year-old right-hander missed the entire first half of the 2024 season due to a serious back injury, but when he returned, he was once again lights-out for the Brew Crew with a 1.25 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 14 saves, 38 strikeouts and 11 walks in 21 2/3 innings during 22 regular-season outings out of the bullpen. A trade out of Milwaukee could make Williams less attractive from a fantasy perspective, depending on where he lands, but if he stays with the Brewers, he'll be an elite fantasy closing option in 2025.
Milwaukee Brewers general manager Matt Arnold hinted that the team would be open to trading closer Devin Williams as he enters the final year of club control in 2025. "We have to stay open-minded. We're the smallest market in the league, so that's something that's required in this," Arnold said. The GM also said that Williams was "unbelievable" in the second half of the season and shouldn't be defined by one bad pitch in the Game 3 loss to the New York Mets in the Wild-Card Series. The two-time All-Star didn't make his 2024 debut until July 28 due to a back injury, but Williams was once again on point in the second half once he returned, posting a 1.25 ERA (2.06 FIP), 0.97 WHIP, 14 saves, 38 strikeouts and 11 walks in 21 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. He went out on a sour note in the Game 3 loss, though, yielding four earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning in a blown save to end the season.
Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams had a disastrous appearance on Thursday, blowing the save and taking the loss in a 4-2 defeat against the New York Mets in Game 3 of their Wild Card series. Williams allowed four runs on three hits and a walk in just two-thirds of an inning. The Airbender has been nails since his mid-season return from injury, but he came up short at the worst possible time for the Crew, who will head home for the offseason. Williams should be back in 2025 as the Brewers' closer, but it will be tough for him to forget this one.
Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy said the reasoning for sticking with left-hander Jared Koenig in the extra-inning loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday was because the team was closely monitoring closer Devin Williams' workload and wanted to get him up in case there was a spot to face a hitter or two, at the most. Williams got up in the bullpen but then sat back down, and the Brewers felt good about Koenig's chances after a clean ninth inning. However, Koenig proceeded to allow three runs (two earned) on four hits to take the loss. Williams got up in the bullpen two separate times but ultimately was not used after pitching last Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. The 29-year-old two-time All-Star missed all of the first half due to a back injury but has been great with a 1.53 ERA, 12 saves and 32 strikeouts in 17 2/3 relief innings in the second half.
Devin Williams
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Yankees
