Mets' Williams Flops, Bullpen Struggles

0:00It's April 22nd, from first pitch to the final out. This is MLB News Today, powered by AI, I'm Cory with the story. The New York Mets are in free fall with 12 straight losses, and their big off season closer, Devon Williams, just poured gas on the fire. In their latest heartbreaker, Williams loaded the bases in the 9th and gave up the go-ahead runs, failing to retire a single batter over 21. That's his third straight rough outing, spiking his ERA to 9.95 after just eight appearances. Mets handed Williams a 3-year, $51 million deal this winter, betting on his strikeout stuff despite a shaky 4.79. ERA in 62 innings with the Yankees last season. New York yanked him from the closer roll back then, too, but the team saw elite whiff rates and top strikeout percentiles, figuring he'd snap back, too, all star level. Fans and analysts are buzzing with frustration, as Williams' opponents are hitting 357 against

1:01him with a 424 weighted, on base average. That's a far cry from his dominant past, and the Mets' bullpened woes are amplifying this brutal skid, testing everyone's patience early in the season. Digging deeper, Williams' signature airbender change-up is flatlining this year, posting a minus-2 run value in the bottom 10% league wide, even if chase rates hold up. Tuesday's meltdown included two walks in a bases, loaded hit, turning a tie into defeat. With options like Luke Weaver, Brooks Rally stepping up, or AJ Mentor returning soon, the Mets might bench Williams from closing duties to reset. This experiments off to a rocky start, but baseball's full of bounces will see if he finds his groove, or if New York's shaking up the knife.