Yanks didn’t make offer to Devin Williams before he joined Mets

ORLANDO — As Devin Williams takes over the Bronx for the Mets, crosstown rival Brian Cashman said he never made a formal offer to the reliever.

The Yankees general manager spoke to Williams’ rep once or twice and asked for updates on the right-handed market. However, Cashman never received a call back.

“I’m not saying he needed it,” Cashman continued Sunday night at the winter meetings in Orlando.

A representative for Williams declined to comment on Cashman’s version of events when contacted by the Daily News.

Williams ended up getting a three-year, $51 million contract with the Mets. The payday follows a turbulent season for the 31-year-old, with the Yankees having to remove him from his defensive role twice. Hampered by some implosions and blown saves, especially early in the season, Williams finished the season with a 4.79 ERA in 62 innings.

Acquired by the Yankees from the Brewers for Nestor Cortes and Caleb Durbin last offseason, Williams also played a catalytic role in the Yankees ending the long-standing facial hair ban last spring. This did him a disservice in the eyes of some fans as he struggled.

Although Williams didn’t post great box office numbers last season, the two-time National League Reliever of the Year attracted strong interest as a free agent after putting up impressive stats. His xBA, Chase%, Whiff%, and K% were all in the 95th percentile or better, and his Stuff+ was 114. His xERA (3.09) and FIP (2.68) were considerably better than his ERA, and he finished the year with 13 straight scoreless outings, including the playoffs.

Results aside, Williams has repeatedly said he liked the way he threw the ball for most of last season. Cashman did not disagree with this assessment.

“He had a handful of games that destroyed the overall numbers,” Cashman said. “I thought he was throwing pretty close to what he had always thrown in years past.

“It was a weapon that [Aaron Boone] could deploy. He helped us. Ultimately, I don’t disagree with how he would describe the season. So, bringing him back, I wouldn’t have made that call if that wasn’t a possibility. We didn’t make an offer, but I had that conversation.

Williams wasn’t the only Yankees reliever to hit the open market this winter, as Luke Weaver remains a free agent. Cashman said he spoke to the right-hander’s representative, but he wouldn’t say more.

The Yankees have several holes to fill in their bullpen, but they have one closer in David Bednar, who was acquired from the Pirates last summer. Bednar would make free agents like Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez a luxury for a club with other needs, but Cashman wouldn’t rule anything out.

“Bednar is our guy, but my job is to be open-minded to see what more I can add,” he said.