Devin Williams rubs salt in Dodgers' wound with first comments after joining Yankees

Before he ended up joining the Yankees in a trade, former Brewers closer Devin Williams was a high-priority target for the Dodgers.

Although he was hurt for a large chunk of the 2024 season, he still came back in top form and finished the year with a 1.25 ERA (though he did get unexpectedly blown up in the postseason, when he gave up a series-winning three-run homer to Pete Alonso that eliminated the Brewers in the Wild Card round).

The Dodgers, who are apparently still looking to add a potential full-time closer despite already having two plausible options in the bullpen (Michael Kopech and Evan Phillips), were reported to be heavily interested in either Williams or free agent Tanner Scott. The Yankees weren't really a part of that conversation when the trade — which also sent Nestor Cortes, prospect Caleb Durbin, and cash to Milwaukee — came down on Dec. 13.

So how close did LA actually get to acquiring Williams? According to the man himself, it looks like it was pretty close. Williams told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, "To be honest, [...] I kinda thought I'd be going to LA, that was what I was being told. The Yankees snuck in there under the table and got the deal done."

Devin Williams seemed prepared to come to the Dodgers before the Yankees swooped in

Okay, that one stings a little. It seems like the Dodgers really might've been on the verge of something with the Brewers if Williams had already been told there was a high chance he'd be moving to Los Angeles. If the Brewers' asking price was always going to include a starter, maybe they didn't want the likes of Bobby Miller or whichever other expendable starter the Dodgers might have offered.

The Dodgers just can't seem to make trades happen with the Brewers. They approached multiple times about Willy Adames (and maybe even tried to swing an Adames-Williams package at some point) before he hit free agency but could never find a deal that worked for both sides. Adames is another heartbreak LA had to contend with after he went to the Giants in free agency.

Scott is still a viable and more than adequate replacement who the Dodgers can turn their attention to, but it's definitely not fun to know that they probably got really, really close on this one before the Yankees came from behind to swipe Williams from under their noses.