Mets extend qualifying offer to closer Díaz

NEW YORK -- Even if the Mets do lose Edwin Díaz in free agency, they won’t come away completely empty-handed.

The Mets on Thursday made the obvious move of extending Díaz a qualifying offer, which is a one-year contract worth $22.025 million -- the average salary of the league’s 125 highest-paid players. Díaz has until Nov. 18 to accept or reject it, though there’s no logical world in which he accepts. The closer just turned down the final $38 million guaranteed on his previous contract to enter free agency.

For a player like Díaz, who is widely considered the top relief pitcher on this year’s market, rejecting a qualifying offer shouldn’t notably affect his free agency. Teams with interest will still pursue him despite knowing they’ll lose a Draft pick if they sign him. Penalties for inking a player who rejected the qualifying offer vary based on the acquiring team’s payroll situation, but generally speaking, the signing club would forfeit at least a second- or third-round pick.

The Mets hold an advantage in negotiations as the only team that won’t lose a pick if they re-sign Díaz.

Should they lose him in free agency after extending the qualifying offer, they’ll receive a compensatory 2026 Draft pick after the fourth round.

At the official start of free agency on Thursday, Díaz became eligible to negotiate with all 30 teams. He is a free agent for the first time in his career after producing a 1.63 ERA with 98 strikeouts over 66 1/3 innings and converting 28 of his 31 save opportunities. The last time Díaz was eligible for free agency, in November 2022, he signed a five-year, $102 million deal during an exclusive negotiating window with the Mets. That contract included opt-outs after the 2025 and ’26 seasons, the former of which he just exercised.

This year, Díaz did not re-sign during his exclusive window. He instead entered a free-agent marketplace that includes several current or former full-time closers, including Robert Suárez, Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley, Devin Williams, Kenley Jansen, Emilio Pagán and Luke Weaver. A few of those pitchers, including Jansen, are significantly older than the 31-year-old Díaz. Others, including Helsley, Williams and Weaver, are coming off uneven seasons. That makes Díaz by far the top closer available in free agency. He also figures to be the most expensive.

Mets officials have expressed a desire to retain Díaz, though it remains to be seen if they will outbid other teams if he turns down the qualifying offer.

While clubs can extend a qualifying offer to any free agent who has not already received one, the Mets had no other realistic candidates this year. First baseman Pete Alonso received a qualifying offer last November, which made him ineligible for another. The Mets’ other free agents did not produce strong enough seasons for the team to consider paying them $22.025 million to return.