When the New York Mets signed free agent reliever Devin Williams to a three-year, $51 million deal, we all assumed it was to become the Mets new closer.
But Williams isn’t necessarily all-in on that narrative. He insists he’s open to setting up fellow free agent closer Edwin Diaz, who’s still on the market trying to get as much money as possible.
"I think it's just a good situation," Williams said on a video call with reporters Friday in a report written by Jorge Castillo of ESPN. "If he comes back, I think we're going to have a really good back of the pen. More good arms is always a good thing. That's really it."
Diaz opted out of his contract last month with two years and $38 million remaining, and he wants a new five-year deal. The Mets remain interested in having Diaz return, but Williams gives them a backup plan in case Diaz’s demands are too high.
Williams knows the setup role because he’d done it before. He did it in 2020 as a rookie for the Milwaukee Brewers, and he won NL Rookie of the Year as a setup man for then-closer Josh Hader, who’s now pitching in Houston.
Mets GM was working in the Brewers front office at the time, so he knows Williams makeup. Williams went on to earn 50 saves in 68 games in 2023 and 2024, and he posted a 1.46 ERA along the way.
"I'm familiar with the way that he wants the organization to run," Williams said of Stearns. "The way they want to do things and their process. I think it's another familiarity for me, so it's all comfortable.”
Williams did have his issues with the way the New York Yankees organization is run when the Brewers traded him to the Yanks. Williams struggled mightily out of the gate, and while he did recover to have some effective stretches, Williams says he also went back and revamped his repertoire, adding a cutter and what he calls a “gyro slider.”
"Seeing if I can add those to what I do and give myself a little more breathing room with the fastball and changeup," Williams said.
He definitely gives the Mets some room to breathe in their negotiations with Diaz, assuming the team really wants Diaz back. There’s always the possibility that he could be putting out the party line given his relationship with Stearns, and we won’t know if that’s actually the case or not until we learn where Diaz finally lands.