As expected, Díaz turns down Mets' qualifying offer
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NEW YORK -- Edwin Díaz on Tuesday made the obvious move of rejecting the Mets’ qualifying offer, which has no bearing on whether he will actually return to the team.
For a player like Díaz, who can secure greater riches through free agency, declining the qualifying offer was a formality. The Mets extended the one-year, $22.025 million offer knowing Díaz would reject it. Now, they will receive a compensatory 2026 Draft pick after the fourth round should Díaz sign elsewhere.
While that system won’t affect the willingness of either side to come to an agreement, it’s unclear how much mutual interest exists. Last week at the MLB Awards in Las Vegas, Díaz estimated his chances of returning at “50-50,” confirming that his agent, Joel Wolfe, met with Mets officials but that Díaz personally hasn’t been involved in the process.
“I like the team. I like the organization,” Díaz said. “They came with the best deal for me [three years ago], and I really enjoyed staying with them. But at the end of the day, I don’t know what they are thinking.”
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Díaz recently opted out of the five-year, $102 million contract he signed with the Mets before the 2023 season, leaving $38 million guaranteed on the table. He is widely regarded as the top reliever available on a free-agent market that also includes Robert Suarez, Raisel Iglesias, Kenley Jansen, Pete Fairbanks, Devin Williams and many others.
The Mets, who lost much of their bullpen to free agency, either need to re-sign Díaz or replace him. But it remains to be seen if president of baseball operations David Stearns will be willing to commit significant resources to a soon-to-be-32-year-old, despite the fact that Díaz is coming off one of his best seasons as a professional: a 1.63 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 66 1/3 innings.
Over six years in New York, Díaz recorded 144 saves with a 2.93 ERA.
“You never know exactly how the back end of your bullpen is going to take shape,” Stearns said last week at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas. “We have plenty of vacancies there, and I think we’ll have the opportunity to improve that area.”
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Asked about his motivations in free agency, Díaz replied: “Just get the best deal for me and my family.”
“Like I say always, I love New York,” Díaz continued. “I would love to stay in New York. But if I have to go to another place, I would be happy and want to win a ring. Wherever I go, I want to win a ring and enjoy the time.”