The Boston Red Sox have had a recent habit of taking New York Yankees castoffs and turning them into success stories — Rob Refsnyder, Garrett Whitlock, Carlos Narváez and Aroldis Chapman are just a few current examples.
During the 2025 GM meetings in Las Vegas, Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Katie Woo of The Athletic reported that the Red Sox may seek to add another high-leverage reliever to create a 'super bullpen,' of sorts (subscription required). Some of the candidates the reporters named are Robert Suarez, Pete Fairbanks, Ryan Helsley, Luke Weaver, and they also addressed an established interest in 2025 Yankeee, Devin Williams.
New York traded for Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers before the 2025 campaign. The closer was long thought of as one of the best in baseball, and he'd posted a 1.83 ERA with 68 saves and 375 strikeouts over 241 appearances across his six seasons with the Brewers. Williams earned two All-Stars, Cy Young Award votes and Rookie of the Year honors in 2020, and MVP votes in 2020 and 2023.
When he arrived in New York, everything changed. Williams posted a 10.03 ERA in his first 14 appearances with the Yankees, and he battled inconsistency throughout the rest of his season. The Yankees removed him from the closer role and into lower-leverage relief situations where he found better success, but he still posted easily the worst season of his career. Williams finished 2025 with a 4.79 ERA and 18 saves over 62 innings across 67 appearances.
Red Sox interested in signing former Yankees reliever Devin Williams, who struggled massively in New York
It would be hilarious to see the Red Sox pull off a Chapman-like resurgence with Williams. It probably wouldn't be as easy, since all Chapman had to do to find the zone and improve his command was aim, but Boston's pitching program may be able to get Williams back on the winning track.
The Sox don't need to approach Williams this way, since they have all the money in the world to sign free agents with, but the former closer's price may have decreased since his struggles in New York. If the Red Sox can help him rebound at a discount, it could be an easy choice for the front office. Fairbanks and Suarez would also be intriguing options for Boston, and it could still have some thinking to do before pulling the trigger on any moves.
If the Red Sox can help Williams find his Brewers self again, he, Whitlock and Chapman would be a fearsome trio in the late innings. A November 13 report from Francys Romero said that the reliever market could begin moving very early this year, so Williams (or any of their other targets) could be a Red Sox soon.