Closer extraordinaire Devin Williams had been told by the Milwaukee Brewers that he probably would be traded to the Dodgers. He went to the New York Yankees instead, a turn of events Williams described as “the Yankees snuck in under the table and got the deal done.”
It’s not a secret that fortifying the bullpen remains on the Dodgers’ to-do list. They’ve been connected with free agent Tanner Scott, who notched 22 saves with the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins last season. They’ve been courted by free-agent closers Paul Sewald and Kenley Jansen (isn’t it supposed to be the teams courting the players?).
But Williams, when healthy, is in another stratosphere, one in which his changeup enjoys a lofty nickname: the Airbender. The pitch breaks down and away to a left-handed batter while boring in on the hands of a right-hander.
Result? Williams has yielded just 129 hits while striking out 375 in 236 career innings. His career earned-run average is 1.83. He is elite.
Spin rate is the current measure of a monster pitch, and the Airbender spins more than any changeup recorded: 2,752 revolutions per minute. The average changeup spins at 1,769 RPMs.
Apparently, Williams wasn’t putting a spin on his trade to the Yankees during interviews Tuesday. He made it clear he was surprised that pinstripes are in his future and not Dodger blue.
He responded to a question from SNY asking if a trade to the Yankees was “on your radar” by replying, “To be honest, I didn’t really think so. I kinda thought I’d be going to L.A. That’s what I was being told.”
The right-hander can become a free agent after the 2025 season, which explains the modest return headed to Milwaukee: minor leaguer Caleb Durbin — who could compete for the starting job at second base — and left-handed starter Nestor Cortes — best known in L.A. for surrendering the walk-off grand slam to Freddie Freeman in Game 1 of the World Series.
Although the Dodgers were indeed interested in Williams, as multiple people with knowledge of the situation who weren’t authorized to speak publicly confirmed, no deal to Los Angeles was believed to have been imminent.
As the acquisition of Cortes showed, the Brewers were primarily targeting starting pitching in return for Williams, something the Dodgers aren’t looking to part with this offseason even after signing Blake Snell to a $182-million contract last month.
Instead, the club has now turned its attention elsewhere in pursuit if other bullpen options.
All a fan needs to do is watch the “Foul Territory” podcast hosted by Scott Braun to know the Dodgers remain a preferred destination, at least for free-agent closers. Sewald, who has 81 saves the last four years with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, made that clear during an interview, but he’s 34 with a career ERA of 4.09. Jansen, the Dodgers’ all-time leader in saves, told the show he wants to retire in L.A.
Yet it’s more likely the Dodgers first go after Scott, a left-hander who has 55 saves the last three seasons. The Dodgers bring back high-leverage relievers Michael Kopech, Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips and Ryan Brasier while re-signing Blake Treinen, so it’s not as if the bullpen is bare. But it’s clear they believe adding one more arm with ninth-inning experience would be prudent.
It just won’t be Williams. Maybe Cortes got the last laugh.
Times staff writer Jack Harris contributed to this report.
