It’s safe to say fans of the New York Yankees didn’t love Devin Williams before he signed with the crosstown-rival New York Mets.
But Williams is doing nothing to endear himself to Yankees fans by calling them out for their negative words about him signing a three-year, $50 million contract with the Mets earlier this week.
Not only did Williams struggle by going 4-6 with a 4.79 ERA and minus-0.3 bWAR while losing his closer role, but he also forced the Yankees to alter their long-standing rule against facial hair, which rubbed some fans the wrong way.
Williams’ insistence on keeping his beard is now especially frustrating since he only spent one season with the Yankees. New York, of course, acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers for pitcher Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin on Dec. 13, 2024
Devin Williams Called Out Yankees Fans
Williams surely heard the boos from Yankees fans, especially early in the 2025 season. Williams pitched to a 9.00 ERA over his first 12 appearances and lost his closer role first to Luke Weaver before ultimately ceding it to trade-deadline acquisition David Bednar.
So many Yankees fans said “good riddance” when it was announced that Williams would go over the Whitestone Bridge to Flushing to pitch for the Mets. Yet, Williams heard from others who were actually hurt by his decision and called them out in an Instagram story Wednesday.
âFor a bunch of people that didnât want me back on your team, yall are sure mad in the DMâs,â Williams wrote.
Williams’ bashing of Yankees fans is not without precedent, since he also passive-aggressively called out the Bronx faithful during the American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays — after they saluted him with a standing ovation during Game 3.
âItâs nice to feel appreciated sometimes,â Williams said after New York’s lone win in the series. âIt was definitely better than what Iâve had for much of the year.â
The Yankees Still Need To Replace Devin Williams
Whether you’re mad at Williams for leaving, or are grateful he is gone, the Yankees still need to find a late-inning replacement for him.
Sure, Bednar, former closer Camilo Doval and trade-deadline acquisition Jake Bird are all still on the Yankees roster. New York GM Brian Cashman is also sure to go bargain-basement shopping for relief pitchers to replace Mark Leiter Jr., Ian Hamilton, Jake Cousins and Scott Effross, each of whom was non-tendered earlier this offseason.
But between Williams, and the potential departure of likable high-leverage righty Luke Weaver, the Yanks are losing 26 saves and 126 2/3 high-leverage innings from 2025.
So that’s undoubtedly why Cashman has publicly stated his wish to remake New York’s bullpen, especially since that group had a 4.37 ERA, which ranked 23rd in MLB.
A full season of Bednar will surely fix that, and Fernando Cruz will likely have a bigger role out of the pen next year. Plus, it’s hard to imagine Doval (0-1, 4.82 ERA) and Bird (0-1, 27.00 ERA) being as bad as they were over their brief post-deadline tenures.
But with the MLB Winter Meetings coming up next week, look for at least a few Yankees pitching signings in the days ahead.
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