Yankees Linked to Trade for All-Star Closer With 1.25 ERA

Getty Brian Cashman on the phone

Re-signing Juan Soto will be the New York Yankees‘ biggest priority this winter. Still, whether they keep the slugger in town or not, the Yankees have other areas they need to improve. Of those areas includes the bullpen, and Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Devin Williams is expected to be available.

The Brewers declined Williams’ club option, but he’ll be on the team in 2025 unless they trade him. Williams, who posted a 1.25 ERA in 2024, is expected to be among the top trade candidates in Major League Baseball this winter due to contending teams wanting elite-level closers.

Milwaukee should get a decent return for him, which should interest them, as they’re a smaller market and likely won’t be able to pay him.

Looking for a potential trade partner, Mike Axisa of CBS Sports named the Yankees a suitor.

“GM Matt Arnold did not mince words in October when he said the Brewers will “stay open-minded” about trading Williams because they are in the “smallest market in the league.” Williams is a year away from free agency.

“The Brewers traded Corbin Burnes a year before free agency last offseason, and they traded Josh Hader a year-and-a-half prior to free agency,” Axisa wrote on November 1. “Williams is perhaps the big-name player most likely to be traded this winter. It’s too bad his Brewers career is likely to end with Pete Alonso’s go-ahead homer in Game 3 of the Wild Card Series. Williams remains one of the game’s premier bat-missers and hardest-to-hit relievers.”

Yankees Will Have Options in Reliever Market

The New York Yankees bullpen was up and down during the campaign. At times, there didn’t look to be many better units in the league. At other times, the Yankees couldn’t get much production out of the backend of their bullpen.

It led to some changes for the Yankees, as Luke Weaver eventually became the full-time closer and produced in that role at a high-level.

While having Weaver do the same in 2025 wouldn’t be a bad decision, it’s tough to compare him to Williams, who’s arguably the best closer in baseball.

Jeff Passan of ESPN wrote about how loaded the closer market is this winter on the trade and free agency front, highlighting that the Yankees are looking for one and that Williams could be their solution.

“Anyone in need of a closer need only look at the National League Central, where two of the best in baseball will be available. Executives say Milwaukee’s Devin Williams and St. Louis’ Ryan Helsley are both on the market, and they expect both to be moved at some point this winter,” Passan wrote on November 4.

“Each has one year of club control remaining and will be in his final season of arbitration, with Williams expected to command around $8 million… And considering the level of production they provide — Williams had a 1.25 ERA and struck out 38 in 21⅓ innings after returning from a back injury…  Teams in the market for a closer could include the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants, though realistically any team would gladly add either Williams or Helsley to its bullpen.”

How Williams Would Help the Yankees Bullpen

Williams, a two-time All-Star and two-time Hoffman Reliever of the Year Award winner, has done nothing but show other teams why he’d be the perfect fit for their bullpen throughout his career.

Williams’ 1.25 ERA was the best in his career in 2024, but he dealt with some injuries that only allowed him to pitch in 22 games. While injuries are concerning, the New York Yankees have a five-year sample size of him being among the best of the best.

In 2023, he posted a 1.53 ERA and struck out 87 hitters in 58 2/3 innings pitched.

That type of strikeout stuff the Yankees could use, making Williams the perfect fit.