By Eric Katz
During the first five years of his career, Devin Williams was the best reliever in the National
League. His accolades include winning the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year award, two Reliever of
the Year awards, and being selected to two All-Star teams. However, since Williams blew the
save in game three of the 2024 NL Wild Card round, he hasn’t been the same. The 2025 season
was the worst year of his career and 2026 is trending in a worse direction. Devin Williams has
fallen a long way from the dominant pitcher he used to be.
Devin Williams had an accomplished five years with the Milwaukee Brewers. After serving as
the primary setup man for Josh Hader for over two seasons, he eventually served as
Milwaukee’s closer during his final two years. During this span, he was the best relief pitcher in
the National League. In five seasons with the Brewers, Williams went 27-10 with a 1.83 ERA, 68
saves, 375 strikeouts, and a WHIP of 1.023. Accolades included winning the NL Rookie of the
Year award in 2020, two Reliever of the Year awards, and being selected to two All-Star games.
In what would be his final game with Milwaukee, Williams would have the worst moment of his
career. In Game Three of the NL Wild Card round, heading into the ninth inning, the Brewers
led the New York Mets 2-0 and were three outs away from advancing to the NLDS. If the
Brewers held on to win, it would be the first time in six seasons that Milwaukee won a
postseason series. Brewers Manager Pat Murphy turned to the two-time All-Star closer to
secure the win.
However, this seemingly clear choice would lead to another spectacular Brewers postseason
collapse. With one out and runners on first and third, Devin Williams allowed a soul-crushing
go-ahead three-run homer to Pete Alonso, giving the Mets a 3-2 lead. Alonso became the first
player ever to hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning or later of a deciding game. Things only
unraveled further for Williams as the Mets added to their lead to make it 4-2. The Brewers
would go on to lose 4-2 and be eliminated from the postseason.
Pete Alonso’s homer would go down as one of the more excruciating moments in not just
franchise history, but Wisconsin sports. This is something that is forever going to be linked to
Williams. Nobody knew it then, but Devin Williams’s career trajectory was going to abruptly
change.
With him nearing free agency, the Brewers traded the two-time All-Star to the Yankees for
starter Nestor Cortes and then-prospect Caleb Durbin. New York thought he would be the
answer to their ninth-inning woes. However, Devin Williams would have the worst year of his
career with the Yankees in 2025. During the season, he’d be removed as closer twice.
Devin Williams finished the year going 4-6 with a 4.79 ERA, 18 saves, 90 strikeouts, and a WHIP
of 1.129. He also blew four saves. His struggles ultimately forced the team at the trade deadline
to trade for relievers David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird. While the Yankees trailed the
Blue Jays 2-1 in game four of the ALDS, Devin Williams surrendered a two-run single in the
seventh, extending Toronto’s lead to three. New York would go on to lose 5-2 and be
eliminated from the postseason. After the season, the team allowed him to become a free
agent.
During the offseason, the former Reliever of the Year didn’t have to go far for his next job, as all
he had to do was switch boroughs. The New York Mets signed him to a three-year, $51 million
deal. The Mets’ original intent was to make him their setup man; however, former closer Edwin
Diaz departed for the Dodgers, which subsequently made Williams his replacement. The team
attributed Devin Williams’ career-worst season to bad luck, as his underlying stats showed he
pitched better than his surface numbers indicated. He had a 2.68 FIP, a 3.02 xERA, a 38% Whiff
rate, and a 35% chase rate, and opponents only slashed .197/.287/.320 with a .607 OPS against
him. With their pitch lab, the team believed they could get him back to All-Star form.
Despite the team’s optimism, so far this season, the 31-year-old has been worse than last
season. In eight games, Williams is 0-1 with a 9.95 ERA, two saves, 11 strikeouts, and a WHIP of
2.684. He’s also blown a save. In his last three appearances, Williams has allowed a total of
seven runs in just 1.1 innings! His struggles have contributed to New York’s current 12-game
losing streak. The former All-Star is certainly making Mets fans even angrier at the front office
for letting Edwin Diaz get away.
Unfortunately for the Mets, the only other pitchers in their bullpen who’ve closed before are
Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley. Like Williams, Weaver has struggled badly as well and Raley is
not far removed from Tommy John surgery. I doubt the team wants to demote their $51 million
reliever and have him be an expensive non-closer reliever, something the Marlins did back in
2012 with Heath Bell. This is something that can’t be justified in a market like New York.
Since Pete Alonso hit the home run off him in the 2024 postseason, Devin Williams hasn’t been
the same. He had the worst year of his career in 2025 and this season is so far shaping up to be
worse. The former Reliever of the Year award winners’ current struggles have certainly
contributed to the Mets’ current nightmare 12-game losing streak. The team also isn’t in any
position to remove Williams as closer. Baseball has a history of former All-Star closers blowing
big moments, but nobody expected one home run to turn a closer from the best to the worst.
