NEW YORK (AP) — Devin Williams could be the closer for the New York Mets next season. Or he might be a setup man for Edwin Díaz.
Each possibility sounds intriguing to Williams, who finalized a $51 million, three-year contract with the Mets on Wednesday.
The 31-year-old Díaz is a free agent after going 6-3 with a 1.63 ERA and 28 saves this year. The right-hander has 144 saves in six seasons with the Mets.
“If he comes back, I think we’re going to have a really good back end of the bullpen,” Williams said Friday in his first public comments since joining New York. “More good arms is always a good thing.”
Williams said his mindset won’t be impacted by his role.
“Just being prepared mentally and physically,” Williams said. “If you’re going in before the ninth inning, you just need to be ready earlier. I don’t think that really changes your mindset at all. It’s just a preparation thing.”
Williams said he is working on a cutter and a “gyro slider” to go along with his fastball and famed changeup. He is expected to help stabilize a bullpen that is in flux behind Díaz.
Left-handers Brooks Raley, A.J. Minter and Richard Lovelady as well as right-hander Huascar Brazobán are all under contract, but none of the quartet spent the entire 2025 season with the Mets.
Raley returned in June from Tommy John surgery. Minter didn’t pitch after April 26 due to a torn left lat. Lovelady and Brazoban each spent time with Triple-A Syracuse.
“They’re a team that wants to win,” Williams said. “Steve (Mets owner Steve Cohen) is doing all he can to put a winning product out on the field and I’d love to be a part of that.”
Williams spent last season with the New York Yankees, going 4-6 with a career-worst 4.79 ERA and 18 saves in 22 chances. He lost the closer’s job, regained it and then lost it again before finishing the year with four scoreless outings during the American League playoffs.
The two-time All-Star was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Yankees last December. He acknowledged that the transition from Milwaukee — where he was the 2020 NL Rookie of the Year and twice won the Trevor Hoffman NL Reliever of the Year award while Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns was running the Brewers — was difficult.
But after the Yankees were eliminated from the postseason, Williams said he was open to re-signing with the team.
“It’s familiar now,” Williams said Friday. “I know what I’m going to need to do in order to get to the field, all the things like that. Getting home, just life stuff. So I’ve got all that figured out already. I’m comfortable there.”
Williams is 31-16 with a 2.45 ERA and 86 saves in 308 relief appearances over seven major league seasons. He has 465 strikeouts and 137 walks in 297 2/3 innings.
He becomes the latest member of the Mets brought over from the Yankees organization by Cohen and Stearns in recent years, including outfielder Juan Soto, pitcher Clay Holmes, catcher Luis Torrens and manager Carlos Mendoza.
Williams gets a $6 million signing bonus from the Mets payable in three equal installments on April 1 from 2026-28 and salaries of $15 million annually, of which $5 million per year will be deferred.
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FILE - New York Yankees pitcher Devin Williams delivers against the Toronto Blue Jays during the seventh inning of Game 3 of baseball's American League Division Series, Oct. 7, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)
Even without a host of Galacticos, Real Madrid was far too strong for Manchester City in the latest Champions League clash of these titans.
A 3-0 win at the Bernabeu on Wednesday put Madrid in control of this round-of-16 tie at the halfway mark after a stunning first-half hat trick by Federico Valverde. The Uruguay international took on the responsibility of inspiring the record 15-time champion in the absence of injured stars Kylian Mbappe, Jude Bellingham and Rodrygo.
"We are Real Madrid and you should never consider us dead,” Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa told broadcaster Movistar.
The victory could have been even more commanding, but Vinícius Júnior's casually taken second-half penalty was saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain beat Chelsea 5-2 and tiny Bodø/Glimt is also in sight of the quarterfinals after a 3-0 win over Sporting Lisbon.
Arsenal drew 1-1 with Bayer Leverkusen.
By fulltime at a rocking Bernabeu, the only comfort City could cling to was the fact that it could have been so much worse.
When Vinícius stood over the ball on the penalty spot shortly before the hour mark, he looked certain add to the lead. But the Brazil forward skipped in his run-up and hit a weak side-footed effort that Donnarumma pushed away.
It will still take a massive turnaround to see City advance after being outclassed by Madrid.
Valverde's hat trick featured three outstanding goals. The pick of the lot was his third when he flicked the ball over the head of City defender Marc Guehi before volleying home.
TV cameras caught Bellingham watching in the stadium with his mouth wide open in awe of the move.
City manager Pep Guardiola will likely be worrying that history is set to repeat itself after his team was eliminated at the hands of Madrid in each of the last two seasons.
“Our game was not as bad as this result,” Guardiola said. “I’m not someone to say we are going to turn it round, but we will try.”
After losing to Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup last year, PSG got some revenge.
A three-goal advantage after the first leg saw Luis Enrique's team take a big step toward the last eight.
Chelsea had twice leveled the game, but a mistake by goalkeeper Filip Jørgensen, who gave the ball away on the edge of his box in the 74th minute, allowed Vitinha to lift a shot into the open net.
PSG substitute Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored twice more to leave Chelsea with a mountain to climb back at Stamford Bridge.
“This is our most important moment in the competition,” Luis Enrique said. "We’ll try to play the second leg in the same way as we did today. We’ll try to win the game. That’s the best mentality as if we’re thinking about defending our lead, it could be a big mistake.”
Bodø/Glimt's fairytale run just keeps on going.
Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan have been left in the tiny Norwegian club's wake. Now Sporting Lisbon's Champions League hopes are hanging by a thread.
Bodø/Glimt — located north of the Arctic Circle and farther north than any team in Champions League history — took full advantage of playing the first leg at home and led 2-0 at halftime through Sondre Fet's penalty and Ole Blomberg's goal just before the break.
Kasper Hogh scored in the 71st to put his team on the brink of the next round.
Bodø/Glimt was already the first Norwegian team to the advance to the knockout rounds of the Champions League and could now go even further.
Kai Havertz returned to haunt Bayer Leverkusen and seal a late draw for Arsenal.
The Germany international struck an 89th-minute penalty against the team where he started his career and leveled the round-of-16 first leg tie at BayArena.
“I know the stadium well and have taken many penalties from this spot,” said Havertz, who left Leverkusen for Chelsea in a $95 million deal in 2020.
Premier League leading Arsenal fell behind on Robert Andrich's goal just after halftime. But Malik Tillman fouled Noni Madueke in the box, and Havertz fired low past Janis Blaswich from the spot.
“The time between the penalty whistle and the penalty kick felt like an eternity," Havertz said. “But in the end, you have to be mentally present in those moments.”
After dominating the league phase of this year’s tournament, Premier League teams were brought down to Earth in the round of 16.
Man City, Chelsea and Tottenham all fell to heavy defeats, while Liverpool also lost to Galatasaray.
In all, none of England’s six teams in the knockouts won their first leg, with Arsenal and Newcastle both picking up draws.
Arsenal will be favorite to overcome Leverkusen at home and Liverpool only has to overturn a 1-0 deficit in its second leg at Anfield.
But City, Chelsea and Tottenham face big deficits, while Newcastle travels to Camp Nou to play Barcelona.
James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Bodo/Glimt's Ole Didrik Blomberg celebrates after scoring their side's second goal of the game during the Champions League soccer match between Bodo/Glimt and Sporting Lisbon, in Bodo, Norway, Wednesday March 11, 2026. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB Scanpix via AP)
PSG's Ousmane Dembele celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, in Paris, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Real Madrid's Federico Valverde, center, celebrates after scoring his third goal during a first leg round of 16 Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
Real Madrid's Federico Valverde celebrates after scoring during a first leg round of 16 Champions League soccer match between Real Madrid and Manchester City in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)
Leverkusen's Robert Andrich celebrates after scoring the opening goal of his team during the Champions League round of 16 first leg soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal FC in Leverkusen, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Arsenal's Kai Havertz scores a penalty, his side's first goal, during the Champions League round of 16 first leg soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal FC in Leverkusen, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Arsenal's Gabriel celebrates the first goal of his team during the Champions League round of 16 first leg soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal FC in Leverkusen, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Arsenal's Kai Havertz reacts after scoring a penalty, his side's first goal, during the Champions League round of 16 first leg soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Arsenal FC in Leverkusen, Germany, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior falls during the second leg of the Champions League playoff soccer match between Real Madrid and Benfica in Madrid, Spain, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola gives instructions during the fifth round FA Cup soccer match between Newcastle and Manchester City in Newcastle, England, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Hodgson)
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior, duels for the balls with Celta's Javi Rodriguez during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Celta Vigo and Real Madrid in Vigo, Spain, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Lalo R. Villar)
Real Madrid's head coach Alvaro Arbeloa gives instruction inside the box team area during a Spanish La Liga soccer match between Celta Vigo and Real Madrid in Vigo, Spain, Friday, March 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Lalo R. Villar)
