When the New York Yankees traded for Devin Williams, it honestly felt like a flex. Because a two-time Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year in the Bronx? Fans thought it was a sick move, believing that the ninth inning was now in safe hands. But that reality lasted only till the off-season. Now, with just a few weeks in, let’s just say things aren’t exactly going to plan, with Williams having been anything but lights out.

In four appearances, he is at a 12.00 ERA. Four walks, five strikeouts, and late-inning heart attacks are the reality. He nearly messed up the opening day and, on Wednesday, came close to ruining a strong, good lead against the Detroit Tigers.

Williams came in with a comfortable 4-0 cushion. Then, a walk and two strikeouts. But then, a single, another walk, a pitch, and an RBI knock followed. Suddenly it was 4-3, and to blow out the fire, Aaron Boone had to get Mark Leiter Jr. in. Fans were left in awe because this isn’t the lights-out player they expected. So what’s wrong with him? He recently came out clean about his struggles.

Williams told the New York Post, “I haven’t felt like 100 percent myself up to this point, but I would say I’m getting closer.” Now one can look at this both ways, optimistically or through pessimistic eyes. So, on one hand, he is healthy but simply not sharp. But then it raises the question that if this is Williams without an injury, should the Yankees not be concerned?

Now to be fair, Devin Williams is coming off a back injury and a paternity leave. So maybe he is still getting back into the rhythm. And slumps are common—ask Aaron Judge! Still, when the Yankees paid $8.6 million, this is not the turbulence they expected so early on. However, the trade with Milwaukee doesn’t look too lopsided either, with Nestor Cortes on IL now and Caleb Durbin waiting on his call-up still.

But Williams wasn’t brought in to give a just fine performance. He was brought in to spit fire in the game. And he hasn’t. And there are not many chances that the fans under the bright lights of New York really give. So one thing is for sure—the pressure is on.

New York Yankees’ might need to make a tough call

Now, to be fair to Devin Williams, he has a lot of pressure on his back. He is, after all, walking in with the closer tag in Yankee Stadium, where greats like Mariano Rivera walked. That’s a tough sell in the Bronx—the expectations are sky-high; Rivera wasn’t just a closer—he was the closer. He had no slumps whatsoever, having smoothly locked up 652 games and five rings. So the reality is that’s the ghost every New York Yankee closer has to go up against. Now given that Williams is flinching, the whispers of whether it is time for a closer-by-committee approach are getting louder.

But Aaron Boone isn’t there yet. Publicly, Boone has stood by Williams, saying, “I’m confident this is going to be a distant memory. He’s not that far off… just a little better strike throwing. The stuff’s not far off. He’ll be fine.” It does seem like even Boone is having wishful thinking of letting him be fine. Because honestly, his options are not stacked.

Luke Weaver has been reliable, but he isn’t a lights-out closer. He is the one the team calls to patch things up, not slam doors. And then there are Mark Leiter Jr. and Tim Hill Jr. But they both don’t have the pedigree to get the job done right. So right now Williams is the only one in the roster with real closer experience. But this experience means nothing if he can’t shake off this slump. Because if not, Boone might have no choice but to shake up the ninth, out of sheer necessity. Plus, David Robertson is still out there. Not stirring the pot, though!

The bottom line is the Yankees didn’t trade their assets for an in-progress reliever—they traded for a finisher. Williams needs to find his form fast. What are your thoughts on the matter?