Mets' Devin Williams Addresses Edwin Díaz's Departure

Williams, 31, combined for a 1.83 ERA and won the NL Reliever of the Year Award twice in six seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers before being dealt to the New York Yankees ahead of the 2025 campaign. He bounced in and out of the Yankees’ closer role last year, converting 18 of 22 save opportunities while posting a career-worst 4.79 ERA across 62 innings.

Despite the spike in ERA, Williams showed encouraging signs he can bounce back — especially late in the season. The right-hander finished the year with 13 straight scoreless outings, including four in the postseason. His strikeout rate (34.7%) and whiff rate (37.7%) remained among the league’s best, and his 2.68 FIP was more than two runs lower than his ERA.

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A big part of Williams’ success throughout his career has been his one-of-a-kind “Airbender” changeup, which earned its nickname for its physics-defying movement, dropping and breaking heavily in the “wrong” direction like a screwball with elite spin rates. He throws the pitch more than half the time, and over the past six seasons it has generated a combined +62 run value.

Williams threw only two cutters in 2025, according to Statcast, but he plans to utilize the pitch more often this season, along with his newly added slider. So far, the early results are promising. He struck out the side in his first live BP on Saturday at Clover Park, keeping hitters off balance with varying pitch shapes.

“Usually guys will go up there and they might be sitting on the changeup,” Mendoza said. “Now he’s got other weapons that he can attack different hitters with. So he’s going to continue to use those. He’s going to continue to work on it during spring training once we start playing games.”

Williams now headlines a retooled Mets bullpen that includes Luke Weaver, Luis García, Brooks Raley and Tobias Myers, who can also be utilized as a starter. Left-handed setup man A.J. Minter is expected to miss at least the first month of the season as he continues working his way back from a lat injury, but should be counted on for a prominent role upon his return.

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