The New York Yankees have officially become a feeder system for the cross-town rivals in Queens.
It wasn’t enough for the New York Mets to poach Juan Soto last offseason, effectively shifting the center of the baseball universe to Queens. Now, they are doubling down on that dominance by raiding the Bronx bullpen.
On Monday night, the Mets executed a massive move to support their relief corps, signing former Yankees closer Devin Williams to a three-year contract according to Will Sammon of The Athletic.
The deal is apparently worth more than $50 million guaranteed.
This isn’t just a roster transaction; it is a statement of intent. The Mets are looking at their crosstown rivals not as competitors, but as a catalog to browse for elite talent.
Don’t Let the Surface Stats Fool You About Williams
If you only look at the back of the baseball card, you might think David Stearns and the front office have lost their minds. Williams is coming off a rocky season where he posted a 4.79 ERA over 62 innings. On paper, that number looks like a disaster for a high-leverage arm.
However, smart teams don’t pay for past ERA; they pay for future dominance, and the underlying numbers tell a completely different story. Williams is still striking out 13.06 batters per nine innings, a rate that is frankly absurd. He isn’t getting hit hard; he is getting unlucky, and the Mets are betting the house that the luck is about to turn.
The Mets Bet Big on Elite Underlying Metrics
The reason the Mets handed out a three-year deal to a guy with an ERA approaching 5.00 is hidden in the advanced data. Williams is sporting a 97th percentile chase rate and strikeout rate. Even more terrifying for National League hitters, he possesses a 99th percentile whiff rate.
Batter simply cannot make contact with his stuff. When you are missing bats at that elite level, the run prevention usually follows. The Mets have identified a market inefficiency where the surface-level struggle masked the elite talent bubbling underneath. They are buying a Ferrari at a discount because it has a scratch on the bumper.
Implications for Edwin Diaz and the Bullpen Hierarchy
The arrival of Williams naturally raises some uncomfortable questions about the current closer in Queens. It is yet to be seen if this impacts how the Mets will approach Edwin Diaz and his possible extension. Diaz has been the anchor, but bringing in a legitimate closer like Williams gives the Mets incredible leverage.
Is Williams here to set up Diaz, creating the most fearsome 8th and 9th inning duo in baseball? Or is he high-end insurance in case negotiations with Diaz go south? Regardless of the long-term play, this move reinforces the back end of their bullpen significantly right now.
New York Mets Turn the Tables on the Yankees
The psychological aspect of this signing cannot be ignored. The Mets have been using the Yankees as a farm system over the past year. Taking Soto was the first blow, but grabbing Williams feels like twisting the knife.
For decades, the Yankees were the ones who poached talent and flexed their financial muscle. Now, the roles have reversed. The Mets are the aggressors, picking off high-upside arms from the Bronx to fortify their own championship window.
This is a masterclass in opportunistic aggression. The Mets saw a rival asset with elite traits coming off a down year and pounced before the market could correct itself. If Williams regresses to his mean—which his 99th percentile whiff rate suggests he will—the Mets just stole an elite closer from the Yankees for pennies on the dollar relative to his true talent.