Inside The Pinstripes

Could Yankees Target 2-Time Reliever of the Year Winner in Offseason?

The New York Yankees could seek a trade for one of baseball's best closers this offseason.

Grant Young

Sep 18, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Devin Williams (38) reacts after pitching in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
Sep 18, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Devin Williams (38) reacts after pitching in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images
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There's a good chance that the New York Yankees believe they've found their closer of the future in Luke Weaver.

Weaver has been impeccable since taking Clay Holmes' closer job in early September. And any fans who were worried about whether Weaver could bring his elite regular season form into the playoffs can rest easy after his dominant 4-out save during Game 1 of the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals.

But if Weaver struggles at some point this postseason, the Yankees might decide to look elsewhere for a closer this offseason.

And an October 7 article from Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly suggests that perhaps MLB's best closer will be on the trading block.

"Could it be that Devin Williams' Game 3 meltdown in the NLWCS was his final time taking the mound as a Brewer?" Kelly wrote.

"The two-time Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year can become a free agent after the 2025 season, and if the Brewers don't expect to re-sign him, they'll have to consider trading him—just as they did with Corbin Burnes this past spring."

Kelly later added, "Williams' last appearance as a Brewer may leave a bad taste in the mouths of some, but since entering the league in 2020, his 7.6 WAR trails only Emmanuel Clase."

The biggest stain on Devin Williams' resume is his staggering 23.14 career postseason ERA. But his 1.83 regular season ERA in 235.2 innings pitched proves without a doubt that Williams is the best of the best.

While trading for Williams this offseason would require the Yankees to give up a solid haul of prospects, doing so would ease a lot of stress in the ninth inning next season.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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