Mets get Devin Williams news that will frustrate Yankees

A year ago at this time, Devin Williams was lined up to be a dominant relief ace for the New York Yankees.

Instead, he encountered a season of struggles, and while he turned it around a bit by the end, he wasn't close to the dominant pitcher he had been with the Milwaukee Brewers.

"Williams endured a tumultuous year in the Bronx," MLB.com's Thomas Harrigan wrote on Tuesday. "The righty lost his grip on the closer role and ended up with a 4.79 ERA -- well north of the sparkling 1.83 figure he had over six years with Milwaukee."

When Williams' contract was up at the end of the season, the Yanks let him walk. The New York Mets hopped in to sign him as part of their replacement plan for the departed closer Edwin Diaz.

"Williams’ underlying metrics -- including a 37.7% whiff rate, a 34.7% strikeout rate and a 2.68 FIP -- paint his season in a much more optimistic light and help explain why the Mets were comfortable signing him to a three-year, $51 million deal to be their new closer," Harrigan wrote.

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Those numbers are why Harrigan has listed Williams as one of his 10 biggest bounceback candidates in baseball for the season ahead.

Certainly, Mets fans would love it if Williams was a dominant closer, while it'd have to be frustrating for Yankees fans.

"Williams hasn’t moved far geographically, going from the Bronx to Queens, but he’s projected to make a quantum leap on the mound," Harrigan writes. "He ranks 11th or better among relievers in projected ERA (3.12, tied for 11th), K/9 (11.93, ninth), WAR (1.3, tied for 10th) and saves (32, tied for third)."

The Mets definitely need a showing like that from Williams. Their fanbase likely isn't thrilled that they let Diaz leave for the powerful Dodgers, and so at least finding an able replacement will go a long way toward making things feel OK.

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