ORLANDO, Fla. -- Edwin Díaz's years-long run with the Mets, in which he entrenched himself as one of baseball’s top closers, has come to an end. Díaz agreed to a three-year, $69 million deal to join the Dodgers early Tuesday morning, multiple sources confirmed, ending his time in New York after seven years and six full seasons.
Of note, the Mets’ final offer was three years and $66 million with deferrals, according to a source. Although team officials made it known they could still increase their offer, Díaz chose the Dodgers before that happened. A person with knowledge of his thinking indicated that the offers were not necessarily close despite the slim difference in real-world money, which is why Díaz’s camp didn’t feel obligated to circle back to the Mets at the end.
“They had their chance,” the person said.
With that, a long and mostly productive marriage ended Tuesday at the Winter Meetings. The Mets will now almost certainly proceed with recent acquisition Devin Williams as their closer and build out their relief corps in front of him. Left-handers A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley are slated to serve as setup men, but outside of those two, the bullpen has few certainties. The Mets figure to continue adding arms on guaranteed deals over the course of the winter, diversifying their assets rather than paying a significant haul to any one reliever.
A source said Tuesday evening that the market for former Padres closer Robert Suárez was beginning to warm, and that the Mets have been one of the most involved teams in that arena. Other available closer types include Kenley Jansen and Pete Fairbanks.
“I’m very optimistic about where our offseason is headed,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said, declining comment on Díaz specifically because that deal is not yet official. “We’ve certainly got work to do, but there are a lot of good players out there, and I am confident that we’re really going to like where our team is once we get to Opening Day.”
That roster will not include Díaz, whose triple-digit fastball and electric entrance music -- “Narco,” by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet -- made him a fan favorite in Flushing. Díaz’s best season occurred in 2022, when he saved 32 games with a 1.31 ERA. He subsequently injured his right knee during the World Baseball Classic and missed the entire ’23 season recovering, before giving the Mets two more solid seasons entering free agency.
Overall, Díaz produced a 2.93 ERA in 332 appearances as a Met. His 144 saves rank third in franchise history. After the season, Díaz opted out of the final two years and $38 million on his contract in search of greater riches. All the while, multiple sources said, he maintained a desire to return to the Mets. Only when the Mets did not fully reciprocate that interest did Díaz move onto Los Angeles, where his brother, Alexis, played last season.
In Díaz’s absence, the Mets will most likely give the ninth inning to Williams, who signed a three-year, $51 million contract last week. At the time of the deal, Williams was open either to closing or to setting up Díaz. (It’s unclear how the late-inning hierarchy would unfold if the Mets sign Suárez, who’s widely considered the best remaining reliever on the open market.)
“We’re very comfortable with [Williams closing],” Stearns said. “I’ve certainly seen Devin perform at a very high level for a long time. I have full confidence that he can be one of the best relievers in baseball. I think he’s very motivated to do that.”
More than anything, Díaz’s departure deepens a pattern of the Mets refusing to let sentimentality color their offseason decisions. Already this offseason, Stearns has traded Brandon Nimmo and moved on from Díaz, two of the franchise’s longest tenured players. He has also reportedly shown a reluctance to offer Pete Alonso more than a three-year contract.
“That is something, broadly, that we talk about a lot,” Stearns said of allowing emotional factors to enter negotiations. “I can’t tell you I know exactly how to weigh that. We do our best to weigh the full impact of any player on our team, on our organization and we make the best decision we can.”