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Who Should Be the Yankees' Closer?
Who Should Be the Yankees' Closer? originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
In his 1979 book, 'The Bronx Zoo,' former Yankees closer Sparky Lyle openly questioned why the team would trade for Goose Gossage prior to the 1978 season, when they already had Lyle as their Cy Young-winning closer. He said having them both would be a headache because neither would get enough work to stay sharp. Plus, the nightly question of who would close would cause ripple effects throughout the bullpen.
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Well, fast forward to 2025 and the Yankees are in a similar quandary. Luke Weaver was their closer during the second half of 2024 and he was excellent in the role. Then, they went out and traded for Devin Williams with the thought that he would be their primary closer in 2025.
New York Yankees reliever Devin Williams celebrates after retiring the side against the Mets on May 18, 2025, at Yankee Stadium.© Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Now, nobody is confusing Weaver and Williams with Lyle and Gossage from a pedigree standpoint, but the situation is strikingly similar.
Early on, Williams struggled; his signature 'Airbender' changeup was not nearly as effective as in years past. So, at the end of April, Weaver regained the closer role while Williams was demoted to setup duties. That worked for a while, but then Weaver hurt his hamstring at the start of June and was placed on the IL, thus thrusting Williams back into the closer's job.
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Since regaining the closer's role, Williams has pitched 5.2 innings, allowing one run, four hits and hitting two batters while striking out eight. But now, Weaver is set to return much sooner than expected, as early as tonight, and Manager Aaron Boone has not revealed who will close games.
Boone should look to avoid the same mistake that helped undo Billy Martin's 1978 campaign and instead take a page from Bob Lemon's book when the latter took over for Martin.
Go with the guy you traded for. Don't dance back and forth. Keep Williams as the closer and Weaver as the setup man. The only way you don't do that is if their performance dictates a change, or, heaven forbid, another injury takes place.
Williams is your guy, just like Gossage was in 1978 and we all know how that turned out.
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Related: Could This Returning Arm Be What Yankees Need to Fix Their Bullpen?
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
