The Devin Williams trade is close to fully coming back around for the Yankees

Despite the Yankees coming out hot in 2025, the biggest story for the better part of the first two months of the season was the tragic start of Devin Williams.

After being linked to the Yankees for years, Williams finally made his way to the Bronx this winter in a trade that sent Nestor Cortes Jr. and Caleb Durbin to the Brewers.

His initial impression in pinstripes was ... bad. He pitched to an 11.25 ERA throughout his first 10 appearances, leading to him being demoted from the closer role. Things looked bleak for Williams, as he appeared low on confidence and was unable to find the strike zone consistently. 

His struggles were well-documented, as we all know how demanding of a fanbase us Yankees faithful are. Certain fans lost patience with the former Brewer rather quickly, labelling him a bust less than two weeks into the season.

However, after being relegated to a setup role, the two-time All-Star started to show signs of life; he began to locate his fastball and therefore got more swing-and-miss with his patented changeup. His changeup, known as the “Airbender,” was not very effective early on in his Yankee tenure because he could not throw his fastball for strikes. As soon as he started doing that, the vintage Devin Williams that we had seen in Milwaukee began to shine through. 

He continued to shine in that role until the start of June, when Luke Weaver went down with a hamstring injury in Los Angeles. 

After returning home to New York, Weaver was placed on the IL and Aaron Boone announced that Williams would return to his closer role. Many fans were worried how it would play out; after all, these players are human. After suffering through such a torrid stretch in that role at the start of the season, he could very easily have gotten in his own head. But he has done quite the opposite. 

He has recorded four saves in four opportunities since Weaver’s injury, striking out six batters, walking none, and only giving up two hits and one run. Pretty remarkable. 

With this recent success in the closer role, his ERA in his past 15 appearances now sits at a smooth 1.98. He has pitched 13 2/3 innings across that span, striking out 19 and posting a 0.73 WHIP.

Should Williams continue this success, he will very likely retain his role as the Yankees' closer. That is, after all, what Brian Cashman went out and got him for. It’s all starting to come good at the exact right time for the 2020 NL Rookie of The Year. His season ERA, which once sat at over 11, is now just 5.68 and dropping at a rapid rate. 

The Bronx Airbender has well and truly arrived. And he might be here to stay.