...
By Jackson Roberts
Contributing Sports Writer
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The New York Yankees have generally earned praise for their swift roster moves in response to losing Juan Soto last winter, but not all of them worked as intended.
Less than a week after Soto signed with the New York Mets, the Yankees acquired two-time All-Star closer Devin Williams in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. While rookie infielder Caleb Durbin shined in his debut season after the trade to Milwaukee, Williams had by far his worst major league campaign, right before he was slated to enter free agency.
Still, Williams is an exceptionally talented pitcher, and most peripheral stats suggest his 4.79 ERA during the regular season was extremely unlucky. How much will he be worth to his next team?
Read More on MLB
...
One baseball writer predicts the 30-year-old is in line for a staggering payday.
On Sunday, NBC Sports' Matthew Pouliot projected that Williams would command a four-year, $88 million deal from his next team, which would make him the highest-paid reliever ever on an average annual value basis.
"Williams could opt for a one-year contract after a down season, but it’s doubtful he’ll need to," Pouliot wrote. "He finished pretty strong, and his 4.79 ERA for the Yankees still came with a 35% strikeout rate and his best walk rate since 2020. ERA estimator SIERA put him at 2.67, which is right at his 2.70 average from the previous four seasons.
"He ought to be valued as one of the game’s best relievers."
Undoubtedly, there will be teams lining up to try and restore Williams to his elite form. Even if the Yankees aren't one of those teams, Pouliot's logic that the market will be high on a pitcher who clearly could use a change of scenery isn't off base.
Still, Pouliot's projection seems a tad outlandish. Spotrac projects Williams' market value at $5.7 million per year (which also seems like a gross underestimate), while Jim Bowden of The Athletic has him signing for one year, $10 million.
The truth is likely somewhere in the middle, but give Pouliot credit if he's the lone projector to accurately portray a megadeal for Williams after his toughest trials as a big-leaguer.
More MLB: Blue Jays All-Star Projected for $112M Contract After World Series Defeat
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines