Devin Williams found the fall season in New York very enjoyable.
“I usually go out of the country for a week or so once the season ends. But this year, I went to New York and spent 10 days in October,” he said Tuesday. “Great restaurants, shopping, and I visited MoMA and the Natural History museum.”
Williams will get even more time in New York after the New York Yankees traded for him from the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, sending left-hander Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin to the Brewers.
“Ten days isn’t really enough to see everything in New York City, so I’m excited to spend more time there,” Williams said.
Williams is up for salary arbitration this offseason and can become a free agent after the World Series. He said he might be open to a long-term contract.
“If it’s right for both sides, that’s definitely always an option,” he said. “Nothing has been discussed up until now.”
This trade is part of the Yankees’ changes after they failed to keep outfielder Juan Soto, who signed a record $765 million, 15-year deal with the Mets. The Yankees also signed left-hander Max Fried to an eight-year, $218 million deal and traded for outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger from the Chicago Cubs for right-hander Cody Poteet.
Williams’ 2024 season ended with a Game 3 loss to the Mets in a Wild Card Series, where he gave up a three-run homer to Pete Alonso in the ninth inning.
“Every failure I’ve ever had has stuck with me, but it’s not something that holds me back,” Williams said. “If anything, it pushes me forward. Every time I’ve failed, I want to get back on the mound to correct myself.”
His former Brewers teammate Jake Cousins called to welcome him to the Yankees, and captain Aaron Judge sent a text. Williams had just arrived at a workout in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, when he learned about the trade.
“I kind of thought I’d be going to LA, that’s what I was told, and then the Yankees came out of nowhere and made the deal,” he said. “I hadn’t really heard much about the Yankees being interested until they traded for me.”
Williams, who was named 2020 NL Rookie of the Year, became the Brewers’ closer after Josh Hader was traded to San Diego in 2022. Williams was 14 for 15 in save opportunities that year, with a 1.25 ERA, 38 strikeouts, and 11 walks over 21 2/3 innings.
His fastball averaged 94.7 mph, and he used it for 53.5% of his pitches, along with 45% changeups, known as the “Airbender,” and about 1.5% cutters.
“I’ve always had a really good changeup, even growing up, it’s something I developed while playing catch with my friends,” he said. “The big change really came in 2020, well, 2019 going into 2020, when I used that time to tweak it and reshape it, and then it just took off in the 2020 season.”
Williams switched from a two-seam grip to a four-seam grip in spring 2019 while pitching batting practice to his new Yankees teammate Trent Grisham. He also began throwing it more slowly with more movement a year later.
He is looking forward to pitching in front of a full Yankee Stadium. “When it’s close, it makes me focus more,” he said. “At times, I think you can lose focus if you don’t feel like the game is on the line right there in that moment.”
Before joining the Yankees for spring training, Williams will need to shave his beard.
“I think I’ll probably keep it as long as I can,” he said. “It’s probably been about six years since I’ve been clean-shaven.”
