Devin Williams was supposed to be that guy for the New York Yankees’ bullpen puzzle. A two-time All-Star and two-time NL Reliever of the Year, he was supposed to be the real deal. When New York brought him in last offseason, most fans were excited, thinking, “Alright, we’ve got our closer.” But alas, things have not gone to plan. In April, Boone removed him from the role at ninth, and since then, Luke Weaver has been looking over the position. There is no idea as to when Williams will resume his role.
Plus, fast forward to May, and Williams is sitting at a heartbreaking 7.31 ERA. He has surrendered as many runs this season as he did over the last two seasons combined. So the dominance is no longer there. Hence, now with the trade deadline looming, the Yankees might want to move on.
And here is where things get interesting.
See, the Philadelphia Phillies just lost one of their most reliable weapons—Jose Alvarado—to an 80-game suspension. All for testing positive for using performance-enhancing drugs. Plus, he won’t be eligible for the postseason either. This is a huge nightmare for the team as they are looking for another deep post-season run. So, what can be the next best thing they can do?
According to Garrett Kerman, the Phillies might have to take a gamble on Williams. “The Phillies could gamble on Williams’ elite changeup.” So the idea goes like this: Williams can head to the Phillies, and in return, the New York Yankees would get Jordan Viars and Andrew Baker. On paper, this seems risky. But Williams still shows flashes of his elite self, and his whiff rate ranks in the 98th percentile. Also, he has had five straight scoreless appearances and even struck out the side twice. So he could be turning the corner.
Plus, Philadelphia Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham worked with Williams during his time in Milwaukee. So a reunion could bring back that magic. Meanwhile, for the New York Yankees, this could be a clean break. Last time, they gave up Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin to get Devin Williams. So recouping by getting two prospects giving him might be the smart move. The big question is whether the Yankees would want this trade!
New York Yankee’ Devin Williams’ isn’t worried about the ninth
Devin Williams has always been asked about his closer role. This time, however, after tossing a scoreless eight innings in the New York Yankees’ 5-2 win over the Rangers, he made it clear—he doesn’t care about roles. Talking about reclaiming the closer role, he said, “It doesn’t matter right now… It doesn’t matter.” He had given just one hit and struck out two. That outing marked his sixth straight appearance without allowing even an earned run.
Now this is a far cry from his rocky start in pinstripes. However, when Boone was asked whether Williams would eventually come back to his initiative, he said, “We’ll see. No plans right now. I feel like so many of our guys down there, Devin included, are throwing the ball really well. Obviously, Luke’s done outstanding in the role. So we’ll see. We’ll just see as we go. I just want to continue to have [Williams] throwing the ball like he is, and he’s going to be in high-leverage situations.” The thing is, Luke Weaver is just thriving as a closer—he has a 0.44 ERA and six saves—so there is no rush for the New York Yankees to change things up.
Even Williams himself knows that Weaver seems to be doing the best and isn’t hence campaigning for his old role. “I mean, I’m putting up zeros, right? …. He’s doing his thing right now. It’s not like he’s struggling,” he said. So for now, even Williams is content doing what he is doing.
It really depends on whether the Yankees are fine with this Williams swap, though. Do you think a trade is in the picture? Let us know in the comments.
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