The New York Mets will have a new closer this season as Devin Williams takes over the role from Edwin Diaz. Williams signed a three-year contract for $51 million this winter after spending last season with the New York Yankees.
Over the offseason, Diaz left the Mets to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and now the Mets are hoping that Williams finds his past form with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Williams had a rollercoaster 2025 season in the Bronx, posting a 4-6 record, an ERA of 4.79, 90 strikeouts, and 18 saves in 67 appearances, per StatMuse.
Nonetheless, Williams has another crack at proving he can pitch in New York with the Mets, and on Feb. 15 was asked about replacing Diaz.
“I mean, there’s pressure in the closer’s role,” Williams told reporters. “That is what it is. As far as comparing myself to somebody else, I’m not going to do that. I’m pretty good in my own right. I’m just going to go out and try to be the best version of myself. I think that’s good enough.”
Mets Owner Talks Edwin Diaz Exit, Devin Williams Signing
Recently, Mets owner Steve Cohen shed light on how he felt losing Diaz to the Dodgers this past offseason. Diaz left New York for a three year contract and $69 million with Los Angeles.
“I did find that one perplexing. (I’m) not sure exactly how Edwin arrived at that decision,” Cohen said in an interview with Mets radio broadcaster Howie Rose, published on Feb. 13. “Obviously it’s a personal decision on his part, and I thought we made a pretty respectable bid.”
Nonetheless, Cohen did admit that he’s glad that New York was able to land Williams, who they are now relying on to be their closer this season.
“When it was getting pretty hot and heavy, when this was coming down, I felt pretty good about the fact that we had signed Devin Williams,” Cohen added. “I described it to David, that was pretty clever, because it was a really good hedge, in case there was an unfavorable outcome with Edwin.”
Juan Soto Doesn’t Hold Back on New-Look Team
Williams is one of the new faces that the Mets brought in to revamp the team that missed the playoffs in 2025. Moreover, the other big-name New York brought in was former Toronto Blue Jays infielder Bo Bichette.
With Bichette now in the mix with the Mets at least for this season, Juan Soto didn’t hold back his thoughts on his new teammate, who also brings World Series experience to the team.
“We’re going to have Bo,” Soto said about having Bichette in the Mets lineup for added protection (h/t SNY). “Bo, I trust him. He’s a great hitter. Definitely, he can hit homers, and he can hit for average. So I think he’s a great protection.”
Furthermore, Soto believes that with the new faces like Williams and Bichette, the Mets are a better team than they were a year ago.
“I feel the same way as last year,” Soto added (h/t SNY). “We have a great team this year. We had a great team last year. This year, I feel like we have an even better team. I played with those guys last year. It’s a new year. We forget about what happened last year. Whatever happens, we focus on this year.”
Mets’ Devin Williams Gets Blunt About Replacing Edwin Diaz