Mets' David Stearns Expresses Confidence in Devin Williams as Closer

The Mets' president of baseball operations remains confident in his new closer, believing he will regain his dominant form.

Apr 7, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets pitcher Devin Williams (38) reacts after striking out Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Adrian del Castillo (not pictured) the end the top of the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

While the New York Mets are showing signs of much-needed momentum, there are still a few weak points that the team is looking to solve.

The lineup, for all of its struggles to begin the year, sprung to life on Thursday behind Juan Soto's return and Bo Bichette heating up. The starting pitching, despite some inconsistent performances, is still anchored by the strong efforts of Nolan McLean and Clay Holmes. As of now, the bullpen may be the biggest area of concern.

Devin Williams, whom the Mets signed as their new closer this winter, has run into a rough patch lately. The 31-year-old began the year with five consecutive scoreless appearances, but has surrendered eight runs over his last four appearances as his ERA swelled to 10.29. This included a particularly painful meltdown on Tuesday when Williams gave up two runs in a tied game without retiring a batter.

Devin Williams fails to record an out in the 9th inning against the Twins pic.twitter.com/XcWD2y3zMM

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 22, 2026

Despite these struggles, Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns gave Williams his vote of confidence when speaking to the media on Friday.

"I think his changeup hasn't been exactly where he wants it yet," Stearns responded when asked if he's seen anything different from Williams compared to his successful past. "Probably hasn't been the level of consistency that he's used to. He's gone through stretches like that previously in his career and I'm pretty confident he'll get it back."

"He's gone through stretches like that previously in his career and I'm pretty confident he'll get it back"

David Stearns talks about Devin Williams struggling with his change-up early on in the season: pic.twitter.com/MwhuJmU88L

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 24, 2026

Stearns, of course, knows Williams well as both were formerly with the Milwaukee Brewers organization. He oversaw Williams become one of the most dominant relievers in the game ever since winning NL Rookie of the Year in 2020, although he also saw Williams give up a season-ending three-run homer to Pete Alonso in Game 3 of the 2024 NL Wild Card Series (this was Stearns' first year in charge of the Mets).

Since that homer, Williams hasn't been the same. He struggled in his lone year with the New York Yankees last season, ultimately being demoted from closer duties to becoming a setup man. He showed signs of regaining his dominant form in that role, although his 4.79 ERA in the Bronx was by far a career-worst.

Devin Williams' first 8 games as a Yankee:
5.14 ERA | 6 BB | 8 K | 1.86 WHIP

Devin Williams' first 8 games as a Met:
9.95 ERA | 6 BB | 11 K | 2.68 WHIP pic.twitter.com/PdHzE6tM45

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) April 22, 2026

In fact, when the Mets signed Williams, it was before they lost closer Edwin Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency. This may indicate that they were originally intending to use Williams as a setup man for Diaz, but they officially named him closer once the latter signed with the two-time defending champs.

With Williams struggling again in the closer role, Stearns was asked if he or manager Carlos Mendoza considered moving their star reliever back into eighth inning duties. However, Stearns bluntly shut this down.

"That's not something that Mendy and I have really talked about. I think we're focused on getting Devin right, regardless of what inning he happens to be pitching in," Stearns said.

David Stearns was asked if the Mets have considered moving Devin Williams to the 8th inning:

"That's not something that Mendy and I have really talked about. I think we're focused on getting Devin right, regardless of what inning he happens to be pitching in." pic.twitter.com/BQX9jQaipn

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 24, 2026

Based on Stearns' comments, Williams appears to have a strong hold on the closer role despite his rough couple of games. He did manage to nail down a save on Thursday (although he did allow a run), so perhaps he's not too far from rediscovering that shutdown form.

AND BREATHE.

Mets win and take the series vs. the Twins! pic.twitter.com/9rhWsLSUjm

— SNY (@SNYtv) April 24, 2026

David Stearns Provides Timeline for A.J. Minter

In addition to answering questions about Williams, Stearns was asked about how close fellow reliever A.J. Minter is to returning. Minter was lost early on in the 2025 season due to a torn lat, and is nearing the end of his rehab.

"We're still on the same timeline. Early May, first week or 10 days of May I think is realistic. That's roughly I believe where his rehab stint goes through," Stearns said.

David Stearns says that the first week to 10 days of May is a "realistic" timeline for A.J. Minter's return pic.twitter.com/u9b1TIRsLO

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) April 24, 2026

Prior to his season-ending injury, Minter was an extremely reliable high-leverage arm for the Mets by logging a 1.64 ERA in 13 appearances. The southpaw also has experience as a closer with 36 career saves to his name, which could be useful on days where Williams is unavailable.

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