The New York Yankees made a big trade last offseason to acquire Devin Williams from the Milwaukee Brewers. Williams struggled early on, but has pitched more like the player the Yankees hoped for.
Williams has a 1.98 ERA since moving back into the closer's role. However, he is a free agent after the season, and if he finishes the season strong, the Yankees would be wise to bring him back. However, if they can find an even better closer with control at the trade deadline, Williams would be expendable.
Despite his struggles this year, it's hard to argue that there are many closers better than Williams. He has been pitching like an All-Star since the start of June, and very few closers in the game can actually be argued as better. However, Emmanuel Clase is a name that has an argument.
Clase has a 1.92 ERA and 153 saves since 2022. He led baseball in saves in 2022 and 2023. Last season, he had a 0.61 ERA and 47 saves. He has a 2.91 ERA this season, but since the start of May, his ERA is 1.20, and he has 15 saves. FanSided's Rucker Haringey suggested the Yankees trade for him.
"The Yankees might need to offer a fringe top-10 prospect to get this deal done but Clase has the high upside required to make that kind of investment pay off," wrote Haringey. "They might be outbid for a team desperate to make Clase their closer but he's a name to watch as the deadline approaches."
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Clase has multiple seasons of club control and would allow the Yankees to let Williams walk in free agency. He is projected to earn a lucrative deal as a two-time All-Star and two-time Trevor Hoffman Award winner. However, the Yankees would have arguably had someone more dominant at closer in Clase.
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