Devin Williams, surprised by Yankees trade, hopes to become their next great reliever

NEW YORK — Devin Williams figured he would be traded this offseason, but the Yankees were not on the closer’s radar.

Instead, the two-time National League Reliever of the Year expected the Milwaukee Brewers to send him to the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose interest was heavily rumored.

“That was what I was being told,” Williams, 30, said Tuesday during an introductory Zoom call. “The Yankees snuck in there under the table and got the deal done.”

The Yankees traded dependable left-handed starter Nestor Cortes and speedy minor-league second baseman Caleb Durbin to acquire the right-handed Williams, who has been among MLB’s elite bullpen arms for the past half-decade.

Since the start of 2019, Williams boasts the second-lowest ERA (1.83), the second-lowest batting average against (.156) and the fourth-highest strikeout rate (14.32 per nine innings) among qualified relievers.

But the small-market Brewers felt compelled to trade Williams, knowing he is likely to command a hefty contract when he hits free agency next winter. They followed a similar business model in February when they traded ace Corbin Burnes to Baltimore before his walk year.

“As someone that’s been there for the last six years, I just understand that’s how they operate,” Williams said.

“It was kind of expected. I don’t think it was, ‘Did I want to stay there or not?’ I don’t know if that was ever an option for me. They never made that a possibility, so I was pretty sure I was getting traded this offseason.”

And the Yankees struck.

While general manager Brian Cashman declined to call the two-time All-Star his new closer — a decision he said he will defer to manager Aaron Boone — it is expected Williams will hold down ninth innings for the Yankees.

Williams converted 65 of his 72 save opportunities over the last three seasons.

“They obviously have a long history with Mariano [Rivera], Aroldis [Chapman],” Williams said of the Yankees. “Those guys, they’ve been the best of the best, and I’m just trying to add my name to that list, hopefully. I think it will be good for me. I thrive off the energy.”

His addition lengthens a bullpen also headlined by Luke Weaver, who thrived as a setup man and as the closer during different stretches last season, and Jonathan Loáisiga, who re-signed after missing most of 2024 due to elbow surgery.

Williams dominates hitters with a mid-90s fastball and a swing-and-miss changeup with so much movement that it earned the nickname “The Airbender.”

That changeup averaged 84.4 mph in 2024, but it was not always the bread-and-butter weapon Williams deploys today. He credits the pitch’s evolution in part to an observation made in 2019 by then-Brewers and now-Yankees teammate Trent Grisham.

“That was when I made a switch from a two-seam grip to a four,” Williams recalled. “Literally in the middle of a live [at-bat] with Trent, he told me he could see the difference in the spin. That became my out pitch, my go-to.

“I was still throwing it 88, 89 mph, and then during COVID, I was doing live [at-bats] back at home and that’s where I started to realize if I threw it slower and spun it more, it got way more movement.”

The enhanced changeup helped Williams post a 0.33 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 27 innings during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, after which he was named NL Rookie of the Year and earned his first Reliever of the Year honor.

He won Reliever of the Year again in 2023 after going 8-3 with a 1.53 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 58 2/3 innings while recording a career-high 36 saves.

Williams missed the first four months of last season with a pair of stress fractures in his back, but he was similarly excellent upon returning, pitching to a 1.25 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings.

He believes that injury is behind him, saying Tuesday it was not a factor after an initial six-week shutdown.

Williams comes to the Bronx hopeful to find postseason success. He has allowed six runs in 2 1/3 innings in his postseason career, most notably surrendering Pete Alonso’s go-ahead three-run home run in the Mets’ Game 3 win in the wild-card round in October.

“We’re all aware of how things turned out this past year,” Williams said. “Obviously, I wish things had turned out differently, but I’ll put myself in that situation every time. I’ll never shy away from that moment.”

Being traded to the Yankees was a bit kismet. Williams typically takes a trip abroad during the offseason but instead visited New York for 10 days in October, touring local restaurants, stores and institutions including MoMA and the American Museum of Natural History.

He said Aaron Judge and former Brewers teammate Jake Cousins were among those who welcomed him after his trade to the Yankees.

“It’s a tremendous honor to be able to play for this organization,” Williams said. “There’s no bigger team in baseball, so I’m very happy to be here.”

And while he echoed Cashman’s comments that there have not been extension discussions, the impending free agent did not rule one out.

“If it’s right for both sides,” Williams said, “that’s definitely always an option.”

Fried finalized

The Yankees’ contract with Max Fried became official Tuesday, locking in the left-hander for the next eight seasons.

Fried, who turns 31 next month, is set to be formally introduced Wednesday during a press conference at Yankee Stadium.

A two-time All-Star, Fried is set to earn $218 million over the course of what is the largest contract ever given to a lefty.

Fried boasts a 3.07 ERA through eight MLB seasons, all with the Atlanta Braves.

The Fried agreement marked the first major pivot for the Yankees after losing superstar slugger Juan Soto to the Mets in free agency.

Fried joins a Yankees starting staff that also features Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil, Clarke Schmidt and Marcus Stroman.

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