With the 2025 offseason still raging, Devin Williams decided to add fuel to the fire. Having just signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Mets, Williams tweeted (via Instagram story): “For a bunch of people that didn’t want me back on your team, y’all sure are mad in the DMs.”
It wasn’t just a quip — it was a statement: Williams was ready to turn the page — from the Yankees to the Mets — and he was still in control of the narrative. From the closer nicknamed “Airbender” in Milwaukee to the Bronx door slammer after a tumultuous season, Williams now stakes his future in Queens — hoping to revive his career and change the Mets’ bullpen landscape in 2026.
Throughout the 2025 season, Williams — a two-time NL Reliever of the Year — struggled under immense pressure for the Yankees. He started poorly, posting an ERA over 9.00 in his first 14 starts, was stripped of the closer role, and was booed by the crowd.
But behind his career-worst ERA of 4.79 lies another reality: advanced stats (FIP 2.68, xERA 3.09) suggest that much of the problem is “baseball luck,” not skill.
When the traditional numbers say “poor” — deeper metrics say Williams is still a class closer.
So the Mets decided to put their faith in him — sign him to a big contract, and give Williams a chance to do it again, under the lights of Queens, where the pressure… may be less intense than the Bronx.
Williams’ move was more than just a team change — it was a public slap at Yankees fans: they “didn’t want him back” — and now he’s proving “they’re still pissed on DM.”
Combined with a string of disappointing seasons, boos every time he took the field, media and public pressure, the Bronx became a little “hell” for Williams. And his departure — with a smile, a jab — was seen by many as a dramatic “washing hands and hanging up the bat.”
Now, with the Mets, Williams isn’t just looking for a fresh start—he’s looking for a chance to re-establish himself, to go from “out of favor” in the Bronx to a top closer.
The Mets handing Williams a big contract in the middle of the Bronx storm is a gamble—but technically, it’s not a bad one: his whiff rate is in the top 1% of MLB, his changeup is still formidable, and his physicality shows no obvious signs of decline.
It all depends on whether Williams can find stability—both mentally and physically—in a new environment; and whether the Mets, with a bullpen that needs “closing the book,” can manage the pressure around him.
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