Reds gain quiet edge in their pursuit of reliever Devin Williams

The idea of the Cincinnati Reds signing Devin Williams — on the surface — sounds too good to be true. But his preference to stay close to home may work in the Reds' favor. Cincinnati may actually be in play thanks to Williams' Midwest roots.

The hard-throwing right-hander is a native of St. Louis, Missouri, and according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, that could weigh heavily into Williams' free agent decision. Nightengale mentioned the Los Angeles Dodgers as an obvious suitor for the All-Star closer, but is reporting that rival teams have been told that if Williams has his druthers, he would love to stay in the Midwest.

Williams is one of the top relievers on the free agent market this offseason, and reworking the bullpen is one of the Reds' top priorities this winter. Cincinnati lost Emilio Pagán, Nick Martinez, Brent Suter, and Scott Barlow to free agency, and don't have enough internal candidate to offset the losses.

Reds gain quiet edge in pursuit of Devin Williams for their bullpen hole

Williams was traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the New York Yankees prior to the 2025 season, and went on to have the worst season of his career. Williams went 4-6 with a 4.79 ERA over 67 games while covering 62 innings of work. The strikeout numbers were still there, however, with the right-hander racking up 90 punch outs for the Bronx Bombers.

Williams' desire to return to the Midwest is not uncommon. Former Reds All-Star Sonny Gray couldn't handle the bright lights and big city life of New York, but a trade to the Reds in 2019 reignited his career. Gray spent three years in Queen City before being traded to the Minnesota Twins in 2022, and has since returned to the Midwest after signing a free agent deal with the Cardinals in 2023. Gray's tenure with the Yankees still represents the worst year of his career.

Perhaps distancing himself from the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple would help Williams return to the dominant closer he was during his time with the Brewers. Prior to last season, the two-time All-Star had 68 saves under his belt to go along with 375 strikeouts and a sparkling 1.83 ERA. If a move to Cincinnati would help Williams return to that level of dominance, the Reds should sign him immediately.