By Jackson RobertsShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberDevin Williams was nobody's fallback plan this offseason.
After a rough season with the New York Yankees that included a 4.79 ERA in 62 innings, Williams and the New York Mets reportedly agreed to terms on a three-year deal on Monday. The two-time All-Star managed to land a three-year deal worth $51 million guaranteed, including a $6 million bonus and $15 million deferred.
With a 1.83 ERA in his six years with the Milwaukee Brewers, Williams bought himself grace for his lone bad season, especially considering most of his peripheral stats (FIP, xERA, etc.) remained quite positive. And as it turns out, the Mets were far from the only team competing for Williams this early in the offseason.
...According to a Monday night report from Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Mets beat out at least five other suitors for Williams, despite not guaranteeing him the closer role while six-year Mets closer Edwin Díaz remains on the open market.
"He had other options," Sammon wrote. "Williams received at least five other offers from teams with glaring needs at closer, league sources said.
"Williams chose the Mets on Monday night, not knowing whether he would be used as an ace setup option ahead of Edwin Díaz or as a closer replacing Díaz."
The Mets being willing to set the market for Williams could mean they're confident they won't want to pay what Díaz is eventually going to get, or it could mean nearly the complete opposite. Perhaps they're waiting out Díaz, are comfortable with him not getting the five-year deal Sammon reports he is seeking, and also believe he and Williams can form the best bullpen core in baseball.
Either way, the story is far from finished, but we know the Mets wanted Williams to be a major part of the plot.
More MLB: Mets Insider Foreshadows Edwin Díaz Signing with NL Powerhouse
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