Yankees Closer Meltdown: Devin Williams on the Hot Seat After Epic Collapse – Ex-MLB Exec Says “Make the Switch NOW!”
The pressure is boiling over in the Bronx.
After another brutal outing, Yankees closer Devin Williams is facing serious heat—and the calls for his demotion are exploding. On Sunday, former MLB executive and longtime insider Jim Bowden didn’t hold back on MLB Network Radio’s Front Office Show, firing a bold shot: “Let Luke Weaver or Fernando Cruz close. Get Williams out of the ninth.”
And he’s not alone. Yankees fans have had enough. Williams, who arrived in a blockbuster trade this offseason, has already become the target of boos and backlash after coughing up a four-run lead Saturday and watching his ERA skyrocket to 9.00. He’s now been rocked in more than half his appearances. The “shutdown closer” New York thought it was getting? He’s nowhere to be found.
- Devin Williams
Bowden, who once worked in the Yankees front office alongside Brian Cashman, knows the stakes—and the chaos—of trying to win in New York. And right now, this experiment is blowing up in the Yankees’ faces.
Meanwhile, Luke Weaver—who shined under playoff pressure last October—is thriving in high-leverage spots. And Fernando Cruz, a December pickup from Cincinnati, has quietly earned manager Aaron Boone’s trust with a filthy slider and icy composure. Just last week, Boone handed him the ball for his first save. That’s no accident.
Boone and Judge tried to back Williams after Saturday’s implosion, but their body language said it all: the confidence is wavering.
Boone’s postgame defense? Lukewarm at best: “It’s a little bump here early. He’s got all the equipment to get through it.”
But fans—and now insiders—aren’t buying it. The Yankees’ bullpen is in crisis, and if Williams can’t right the ship fast, a shake-up feels inevitable.
Is a new closer coming? One thing’s for sure: the Devin Williams era in New York is hanging by a thread.
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