Anyone who’s looking to acquire a high-leverage reliever this off-season has probably expressed some level of interest in right-hander Devin Williams.

The 31-year-old free agent has reportedly drawn interest from roughly one-third of the sport thus far, including a potential return to the New York Yankees, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon. Other clubs that’ve been linked to the two-time All-Star include the Mets, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers and Miami Marlins.

Considering the Toronto Blue Jays have also been fairly active in the reliever market this winter, connected to the likes of Ryan Helsley, Raisel Iglesias and Phil Maton before they signed their respective contracts, they can also likely be added to the growing list of possible suitors for Williams.

They have a clear need at the back end of the bullpen with Seranthony Domínguez reaching free agency — whom the front office hasn’t closed the door on potentially returning in 2026, one source familiar with the situation said. The front office appears poised to add at least one late-inning reliever this winter, complementing a group that features closer Jeff Hoffman, Louis Varland and the returning Yimi García — who logged just 21 innings amidst an injury-plagued 2025 season.

After arriving via trade from the Milwaukee Brewers last off-season, Williams struggled to meet high expectations during his first season in the Bronx, sporting a 4.79 ERA and a diminished strikeout rate (fell 8.5 per cent from 2024) across a career-high 67 relief appearances. As such, the veteran hurler ultimately lost his closer’s role and was later replaced by David Bednar following his mid-season arrival from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Under the hood, though, Williams’ 2025 season with the Yankees wasn’t as poor as his surface-level metrics suggested. Take his 2.68 FIP, for example, which was much closer to his career mark of 2.45 and not too far off from his ’25 FIP of 2.06. Everything from a quality-of-pitch-arsenal perspective also checked out, as evidenced by his 114 Stuff+ — just one point lower than his 2024 score.

Even with the right-hander’s strikeout rate decline, he remained one of the game’s top swing-and-miss relievers and ranked in the 97th percentile or higher with his strikeout, chase (35 per cent) and whiff rates (37.7 per cent).

Williams would provide the Blue Jays with another closing option, which general manager Ross Atkins said the team was open to pursuing during his end-of-season availability, making the long-time Brewer an ideal bullpen target.

Given the mixed reviews of his ’25 showing, he’ll likely be seeking a one-plus-one contract in free agency — perhaps something similar to Helsley’s two-year, $28 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles that includes an opt-out next winter.