Brewers-Rays World Series matchup makes this NY Mets signing look like an extreme overpay

Devin Williams certainly had a complicated first season in Queens -- even the the man himself admitted as much. Reuniting with David Stearns after an up-and-down campaign with Yankees was supposed to bring us the revival of the "Airbender," a changeup master who made a reputation for himself as one of baseball's premier high-leverage relievers in Milwaukee. Instead, he gave the New York Mets a 4.43 ERA and fewer saves (16) than he had the year before (18) in the Bronx.

With two years and $34 million remaining on his contract, he's certainly got doubters to appease going forward. Remember, he was originally signed to be the set-up man to Edwin Diaz and was thoroughly out-performed by his own set-up man, Luke Weaver, prior to the trade deadline. That's a hefty salary for someone whose closer credentials are on shaky ground.

The story only gets worse if you widen the scope to the rest of the league, too. Williams' former team, the Brewers, are currently up 2-0 in the World Series over a fellow small-market titan, the Rays. Both of those squads feature closers that were castoffs from former organizations... and are earning less than $6 million combined this year.

Devin Williams' arduous Mets contract is difficult to reconcile as cheaper relief stars dominate postseason

Bryan Baker, the closer in Tampa Bay, was a first-time All-Star this season on the back of a 1.73 ERA in the first half. He then somehow got better after that point, recording a 1.04 ERA from the Midsummer Classic until the end of the regular season. He tied for the league lead in saves (41), recorded 1.3 fWAR, and has pitched seven scoreless innings in the postseason. His salary for 2026? $1.275 million.

Then there's Trevor Megill, who took over Williams' vacated closer spot for the Brewers. He locked down 30 saves for the second straight season, logging a 1.85 FIP in the regular season while racking up 2.5 fWAR. In the playoffs, he has fives saves and a 1.35 ERA. For all of that, his payroll hit comes out to $4.7 million.

It's obviously a testament to the developmental talents of the coaching staffs in Milwaukee and Tampa that they can take a castoff -- Baker was acquired for a single draft pick, while Megill required an exchange of cash and a pitcher who never made it to the majors -- and turn them into an All-Star-caliber closer. The Mets, who have a few internal closer options of their own if Williams continues to falter, certainly would benefit from replicating those efforts.

But this story is also a reminder about how volatile the reliever business is. Williams was elite this season by most Statcast metrics and posted a strong 3.05 FIP. Yet, due to injuries, bad luck and circumstances, plus some poorly timed blown saves, he finished the year worth 0.8 fWAR.

Paying for elite relievers rarely works out, even if that reliever continues to perform like one of the best in the business. It's not easy to develop a star closer, but it's a far less risky path than the one the Mets have gotten themselves stuck on with Williams.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow