Annoying early returns on Devin Williams, Luke Weaver might already be flipping for Yankees fans

The New York Yankees' strategy for rebuilding a bullpen that disappointed last season was addition by subtraction. Devin Williams and Luke Weaver went out, and no high-profile names came back in. It was an indictment of how unreliable both high-leverage relievers had become.

After they left, it came out that Williams never wanted to be a Yankee (what a shock!), while Weaver took a subtle jab at the Yankees as spring training got underway. It was all so tiring. Yankees fans were sure the Mets would learn the same hard lesson that we did by trusting these two guys to continuously perform.

Fast forward to now, and the Mets' bullpen has the second-best ERA in the league, coming in at a 1.45 mark. The Yankees aren't quite as elite, but the 2.86 mark their relief corps has put up is still good for eighth in baseball. Two primary reasons why the Mets are succeeding are... Devin Williams and Luke Weaver.

The formerly undynamic duo have combined for 10 scoreless innings, five apiece, and it's been driving Yankees fans insane.

Yankees fans watch Devin Williams and Luke Weaver rebound with the Mets, but wonder for how long?

Both Williams and Weaver had stretches last year where they were good, making it clear that you can't become too enamored by a short stretch. In fact, Weaver began last year with a 1.05 ERA through May 31 before he went on the IL with a left hamstring strain. That covered a much more sizable 25 2/3 frames. From his activation from the IL through the end of the regular season, he threw 40 innings and posted a 5.40 ERA. He became unplayable in the playoffs.

Weaver's already showing that his performance isn't entirely real. He's struck out just 16.7% of the batters he's faced while posting an 11.1% walk rate. He was also thrown into the fire with runners on Thursday against the Diamondbacks, and failed to deliver without a clean inning, allowing four runs to score in a lead-flipping loss (who's shocked?). Not exactly dominant stuff.

Williams has similar strikeout and walk numbers to last season, but his fastball velocity has dropped from 94.1 miles per hour to 93.3 miles per hour. Last year's velocity was already down over half a tick, dropping from 94.7 miles per hour in his final year in Milwaukee.

Rumors came out over the offseason that Williams actually didn't want to sign with the Mets and preferred to go back to a friendlier, Midwest environment, but accepted the Mets' offer because it was for the most money.

Given what we know about these two guys, meltdowns are coming. All non-elite relievers are volatile, and this pair definitely doesn't qualify as elite anymore. A 10-inning sample is nowhere near enough to prove that they'll be able to overcome that volatility. Therefore, Yankees fans should stay calm. More than likely, Mets fans will learn what the real deal is with their back-end duo sooner rather than later. At that point, we'll have the last laugh.