Devin Williams gets candid about Yankees’ new beard policy and its free agency implications

Devin Williams spoke to Hal Steinbrenner and Brian Cashman last week to voice his preference for keeping his beard, but didn’t think anything would come of it.

By Friday, the Yankees’ new closer was pleasantly surprised when the organization announced it was relaxing the facial hair policy that had been intact for nearly 50 years.

“It’s been a long tradition, which I respect that,” Williams said Saturday morning inside the Yankees clubhouse at Steinbrenner Field. “I’m just happy with the decision [Steinbrenner] made.”

“Personally, that’s my preferred look. That’s how I feel most comfortable for myself.”

Williams, who was traded to the Yankees from the Brewers in December, still had a beard when he reported for his physical last week but then had shaved it and kept a mustache on the first day of workouts, though he did not seem thrilled about it.

Yankees closer Devin Williams

But the right-hander will be a free agent at the end of the season and said if the policy had remain unchanged, it would have been at least part of his decision on whether he wanted to re-sign.

“It’s something that I would consider, for sure,” Williams said. “It’s definitely a conversation when that comes up when you’re talking about coming here. It’s something everyone’s well aware of and some guys aren’t OK with it.”

Williams was in a tough spot because he was traded to the organization, rather than making the decision to sign here.

But he noted that he did shave the beard off to keep with the policy while it was still intact last week, though he had some noticeable stubble during the Yankees’ photo day on Tuesday.

“I obviously shaved my beard, so I was complying with the policy,” he said. “But now I’m glad that it’s changed.”

Aaron Judge, meanwhile, said he was “definitely shocked” by the decision but understood why Steinbrenner made it – wanting to make sure the Yankees did not lose out on any players that wouldn’t want to come here because of it.

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner speaking at a press conference where they announced a change in the Yankees facial hair policy.

Still, Judge voiced to Steinbrenner that he wanted other rules to remain in place.

“That was one of my big things – rules are all about discipline, especially playing with the Yankees,” Judge said Saturday. “Especially playing with the Yankees, it’s a disciplined group. That’s one thing I learned all the way from the minor leagues up, you have those certain rules that teach you discipline, teach you a certain way. That was my big concern, is I didn’t want a lot of these rules to start changing. A lot of these separate us and make the New York Yankees the standard.”