If you haven’t heard of David Williams‘, the signature pitch, the “Airbender”, a wonderful changeup that seems to mock physics while baffling hitters, you will soon. It is an incredible weapon for the new. yankees‘closer, one of the best closing pitches in baseball.
Brand talk adds some spark to Williams acquisition Friday in a trade with the Brewersbut the real value to the Yankees goes far beyond marketing. It focuses directly on how they are emerging from their post-life situation.juan soto world. By adding Williams and max friedthe elite starter who agreed to an eight-year, $218 million deal last weekRace prevention is now king in the Bronx, at least so far this winter.
We’ll find out how this works later and presumably there’s a lot more to think about as a GM. Brian Cashman addresses the lineup for the remainder of the offseason. But Williams’ deal is easy to love for this reason: An elite reliever can have a huge impact on a team’s run into October, thanks to all those built-in days off.
The Yankees have been pretty slick getting to October: seven playoff appearances in the last eight years, 59 in their 122-year history (48.4 percent, by far the best in the major leagues). But they haven’t won it all since 2009, certainly something Yankees fans lament loudly.
Maybe Williams can help them navigate the cauldron of the postseason, maybe even that elusive parade. That’s the idea, anyway.
Williams, 30, has a 1.83 ERA in 241 games over six seasons in Milwaukee. Since 2020, opponents are hitting a minuscule .145 against Williams. Over the past two seasons, 171 at-bats ended with his “Airbender” changeup; Opponents have 13 hits, a .111 average. In those 171 at-bats, Williams had 73 strikeouts, a rate of 42.7 percent. Clearly, the pitch is a wonderful complement to his mid-90s fastball.
In recent years, the Yankees have thrived by turning little-known pitchers into key cogs in the bullpen. Holmes Clay (5.57 ERA before the Yankees, 2.69 ERA with them) comes to mind. That has helped the Yankees finish sixth, first and third in the majors in bullpen ERA over the past three seasons. Adding one of baseball’s best relievers to their developmental roster could lead to an overwhelming bullpen in 2025.
Luke Weaverwho finished the season as the Yankees’ closer, hopes to prepare Williams, although Cashman told reporters Friday that the closer’s job will be up to the manager. Aaron Boone. But Weaver is a tempting multi-inning guy: 31 of his 62 appearances during his 2024 run went for more than three outs and he worked at least four outs in eight of his 12 postseason games.
Other relief options include Mark Leiter Jr., Ian Hamilton and cousins jake. Tommy Kahnle and Tim Hill They are free agents. Jonathan Loaisigaan attractive arm, was rehired but he still has some time to recover from injuries before returning to the majors.
The Yankees still need a lefty, maybe they should sign Tanner Scottthe main reliever on the free agent market, as part of a three-pronged super group. Scott had a 1.75 ERA in 72 games between the Marlins and Padres last season.
To get Williams, the Yankees got rid of the left-handed starter Nestor Cortes and perspective of the painting Caleb Durbinwho could have had a role in the major leagues next season. The Yankees had talked about Durbin recently, but getting one of the best relievers in baseball is worth any risk, plus Cortes, who could have been a depth starter.
The Yankees have a surplus of rotation, so “Nasty Nestor” was expendable. But he had an impressive career with the Yankees. While fans gravitated toward his funny nickname, his funk, and his backstory (he was a former 36th round pick), he was much more than just those nuggets. Cortes was a fearless pitcher who was a master of arm angles and speed of movement, which he used to ruin batters’ timing.
Yes, Cortés renounced that. Freddie Freeman grand slam in the World Series, but also gave the Yankees a key gem in Game 5 of the 2022 American League Division Series victory over Cleveland.
Even if Williams is one of the best relievers in the game, the deal also carries risks. He missed four months with a back injury last year, although he returned to the elite when he returned. The Yankees only have control for one season, which is what they also had with Cortes, but if this works out, they will clearly have motivation to try to work out an extension.
Williams also allowed an important home run to Pete Alonso in Milwaukee’s NL Wild Card Series deciding game against the Mets last October. Called on to protect a 2-0 lead, Williams allowed a three-run hit to Alonso in the top of the ninth in a game the Mets won 4-2.
Those types of moments happen to closers and they have to prove they can overcome them. mariano rivera gave up that notorious home run to Sandy Alomar Jr. in the 1997 playoffs and that probably made him a better pitcher. No one is comparing Rivera to Williams – no one should be compared to Rivera, ever – simply illustrating the fact that there are paths through the trauma of October. Clearly, the Yankees believe Williams has his.
The Yankees were never going to find the same type of offensive impact from a single player in their lineup after Soto parted ways with Queens; There is a reason, of course, why Soto received $765 million from the Mets. So the launch has been their focus in early winter.
Maybe that’s not as striking as today. Ted Williams along with Aaron Judge in the batting order.
But if the Yankees have played well and continue to work on offense, they could be back in October. If Williams and his “Airbender” can thrive there, who knows what could happen.