Yankees Could Surprisingly Move On From Ex-Brewers All-Star By July

New York is in championship mode, and months of poor performance won't be tolerated

Apr 7, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; New York Yankees baseball hats and gloves in the dugout out in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images / David Reginek-Imagn Images

A former Milwaukee Brewers two-time All-Star is struggling mightily with his new team in 2025.

The Brewers disappointed a lot of their fans this past offseason when they moved on from not one, but two stars by trading shortstop Willy Adames and closer Devin Williams to the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees, respectively.

Both Adames and Williams are expected to have huge impacts on their new clubs, but that hasn’t been the story for Williams so far.

Williams has accrued an ERA of 9.00 and an 0-1 record in five appearances for the Yankees to begin the year. He has yet to record a 1-2-3 inning and has allowed multiple baserunners in three of his five outings for New York.

Given that Williams now plays in the media hotbed of NYC, it’s not surprising that fans and pundits are already turning against Williams due to his poor start to the season. Trade rumors linking the Yankees to St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley have already begun to surface.

But would the Yankees really give up on Williams as soon as this July’s trade deadline?

It’s certainly possible.

For one, the Yankees aren’t tied contractually to Williams past this year; he is set to hit free agency after the season.

Secondly, the Bronx Bombers are in win-now, championship mode after reaching the World Series in 2024. In other words, they can’t afford to have a less-than-capable closer come playoff time, and in fact, what they really need is an elite closer.

That’s exactly why New York traded Nestor Cortes, Caleb Durbin, and cash to the Brewers last December for the two-time National League Reliever of the Year Williams.

Williams hasn’t looked the part thus far, though, and if he doesn’t markedly improve by June, the Yankees may very well decide to go in a different direction. They’re not going to let some sort of loyalty to Williams cost them on the path to another World Series run.

Throughout his career, Williams has tended to improve as the season rolls along, so the current situation isn’t as alarming as many are making it out to be.

Nonetheless, Williams couldn’t have started the season much worse wearing pinstripes, and it’ll take many good outings in a row to prove that March and April have been merely a fluke.

More MLB: Brewers Could Acquire NL Cy Young Winner From Marlins In Bold Trade