Photo Credit: www.reuters.com

The Mets’ recent acquisition of Devin Williams has resulted in very mixed reactions from the team’s fanbase.

Some fans strongly support the deal, while others believe that David Stearns and the front office should’ve looked elsewhere for pieces to rebuild the bullpen.

My personal opinion: This was a very, very good deal for the Mets.

Before adding Williams, the Mets’ bullpen looked something like this:

• RHP Adbert Alzolay
• RHP Huascar Brazoban
• LHP A.J. Minter
• LHP Brooks Raley
• LHP Richard Lovelady
• RHP Dylan Ross
• LHP Brandon Waddell

This is simply not realistic or ideal for an organization with playoff aspirations. The bullpen is filled with mop-up arms, a rookie (Ross), and a few proven veterans (Minter, Raley).

Devin Williams instantly brings a massive upgrade to Queens, as the team gains a dominant setup man and closer for a bargain price ($12M AAV through 2028).

Signing a reliever with a strong track record for only $12M a season (with deferrals) is extremely rare in 2025, as many closers earn north of $18M per year. Some examples: Josh Hader ($19M AAV), Tanner Scott ($18M AAV), and Edwin Díaz ($20.4M AAV on his old contract).

In addition, Williams has performed like one of the top relievers in baseball since his MLB debut in 2019.

Since then, the “Airbender” has posted a 2.45 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 86 saves, a .166 opponent batting average, and a jaw-dropping 14.1 K/9.

Those numbers speak for themselves, as he has recorded five seasons with an ERA under 2.60, two All-Star appearances, and a career FIP of 2.45.

Fans around the league know he dealt with immense struggles in the Bronx this year, recording a mediocre 4.79 ERA, blowing four saves, and losing the closer’s role multiple times.

However, his underlying metrics were elite in categories such as xERA, xBA, whiff rate, strikeout rate, hard-hit rate, and he finished with a stellar 2.68 FIP.

What does that mean exactly? You can make a strong argument that Williams wasn’t as bad as he looked.

Sure, he had outings where he was downright horrible and hard to watch—especially in April.

But as much as he struggled, there were also stretches where he was dominant and looked exactly like the pitcher he was in Milwaukee.

In June, he was electric, putting up a 0.93 ERA, going 6-for-6 in saves, and allowing only five hits in 9.2 innings.

Photo Credit: www.nesn.com

Now, the Mets’ bullpen is still nowhere near complete, as they need a few more arms to round out the group.

The good news is that Edwin Díaz is sitting on the free-agent market, waiting for a team to give him the five years he deserves.

Hopefully, that team is the Mets—and hopefully, Steve Cohen makes it happen.