Friday was an opportunity for the Yankees to take an important win over the Blue Jays, but Devin Williams’ implosion in the ninth inning allowed for Toronto to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Another ugly outing for the highly touted closer, Aaron Boone announced today that they are removing him from the closer role for now as he tries to correct the course on what’s been a horrendous start to his season.
Devin Williams had an 11.25 ERA through 10 outings with a shocking low 18.2% strikeout rate, as he has been completely ineffective in back-to-back meltdowns that cost the Yankees wins. It’s a decision that felt possible after his meltdown in Tampa, but after the outing in Toronto, this announcement feels more like a formality of a decision that had to be made.
Yankees Shift Devin Williams Out of Closer Role, Luke Weaver Set to Close Games
Removing the closer you made a blockbuster deal for this winter from their role might seem like a difficult decision, but for the Yankees, it was the obvious one to make for now. Aaron Boone intends on getting Devin Williams back on track in some lower-leverage situations, with Luke Weaver filling in as his primary option in the ninth inning. We’ve also seen Fernando Cruz pick up his first save, and I imagine both Mark Leiter Jr. and Tim Hill could aid as well if needed.
The Yankees could not continue to trot out Devin Williams in the ninth inning as the right-hander has been far less effective at getting chases, can’t miss bats, and issues far too many free passes. His -1.33 Win Probability Added is the worst mark for any reliever in baseball, with only Charlie Morton of the Baltimore Orioles having a worse mark when you lump in starters as well.
It doesn’t help Williams’ case that the team has a reliable weapon with closing experience in Luke Weaver, who fans chanted for in the ninth inning of their loss to the Blue Jays.
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Across 11 appearances this season, Luke Weaver is yet to surrender a run while having a 27.7% K% and 2.19 xERA, showing that his underlying data has remained strong. The velocity dip we saw earlier in the season has corrected itself, and Weaver has performed at an extremely high level in his two seasons as a reliever on the Yankees. He’ll serve as their primary closer option, and the Yankees may not have an easy choice pulling him from that role even if Williams heats up.
The issue with going away from Luke Weaver in the biggest moments of a game is that the Yankees have not had a safer option in those kinds of situations than him in a long time. No Yankee reliever has posted a Win Probability Added higher than Luke Weaver’s in 2024 (3.28) since 2015, when Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances each posted a WPA north of 4.00.
It begs the question of whether Weaver, who excelled in a closing role last year, could perform so well that the team has a hard time taking him out of the role. The Yankees want security in their biggest moments, Luke Weaver has provided that and more over the last year, and fans have made it clear through their loud chants at the Stadium that they have their preference for the closer job as well.