The Mets made their first big splash of the offseason December 3 with the signing of Devin Williams.
The former Brewers closer and Yankee inked a three-year, $45 million contract with the Mets, which included no opt-outs and a $1 million payout if ever traded. A deal that signifies his commitment to Queens, which was based on Williams’s feeling for the Mets’ commitment to win.
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“They’re a team that wants to win,” Williams told the media. “Steve’s doing all he can to put a winning product out on the field and I’d love to be a part of that.”
The addition of Williams certainly gives the Mets better odds of holding on to leads in 2026. It also gives the Mets another fail-safe option if Edwin Díaz doesn’t return to the Mets. Williams was asked how Díaz’s pending free agency affected his decision to come to Queens, and how he would view the addition of the Mets’ former closer.
“I think it’s just a good situation. If he comes back, I think we’re going to have a really good back end of the ‘pen. More good arms is always a good thing. That’s really it.”
Yet, despite this mentality, the odds of closing in Queens is much higher than some might hope. Williams has 83 saves in his last four seasons, and recorded ERAs under two in three of those seasons with Milwaukee. When asked if other teams were offering strictly closer roles before signing, Williams had a blunt answer.
“Every team I talked to was for the closer’s role.”
Assuming Williams takes over the closer’s role in 2026, his immediate performance will be closely watched. The righty had a stellar June where he pitched to a .093 ERA, but recorded ERAs of 9.00, 4.22, 5.73, 4.91, and 3.72 in the other months. The peripheral stats were still excellent, including a 97th percentile chase rate and 99th percentile whiff percentage, but the on-field results left much desired.
Still, when talking about next season, Williams spoke about his offseason plan to improve for 2026. He spoke primarily on adding a gyro slider and cutter, an idea he had tinkered with for a while.
“I’ve been tinkering with the cutter, maybe increase the usage on that. Kind of a slider-ry type, gyro slider. Just playing with those two, seeing if I can add those to what I do and give myself more breathing room with the fastball and changeup.”
“It’s really something that I felt I needed to do for a while. But I haven’t really put it into play yet. It’s something that I’ve been working on for years now and it could be a really good pitch for me, I just need to use it.”
William only threw two cutters last season, but saw success from an RPM standpoint. The ball spin averaged at 2448 RPM and got whiffs both times he threw it. The season before, Williams threw the pitch just six times.
Regardless of whether Williams adds another pitch or two, the signing of Williams is an impressive start to the Mets’ offseason. He has been a top closer in baseball the last three seasons and gives the Mets a legitimate backup option if Díaz leaves for greener pastures.
In a perfect world, the Mets would add Díaz to an already strong back end of the bullpen, which Williams said wouldn’t affect him mentally if moved back to the eighth inning role.
“I think that’s just more being prepared mentally and physically. If you’re going to be in before the ninth inning, you just need to be ready earlier. I don’t think it changes your mindset at all, it’s just a preparation thing.”
