NEW YORK -- Mets closer Edwin Díaz has opted out of the final two years and $38 million guaranteed on his contract, the club announced Tuesday, making Díaz a free agent for the first time in his career.
The decision is a formality; the Mets retain interest in re-signing Díaz, according to a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking.
In addition to Díaz, first baseman Pete Alonso opted out of the final season and $24 million remaining on his contract, as he said he would after the end of the season. Reliever A.J. Minter opted into his final year and $11 million. The club exercised its $4.75 million club option on left-handed reliever Brooks Raley, while declining its $2 million option on right-handed reliever Drew Smith.
Díaz, the Mets’ closer since 2019, is coming off one of his best seasons, with 28 saves and a 1.63 ERA over 62 appearances. His seven-year tenure with the Mets has been both inconsistent but wildly successful, with 144 saves and a 2.93 ERA over 332 appearances.
After coming to the Mets from the Mariners in a blockbuster December 2018 trade, Díaz endured a difficult first year in Flushing, but he rebounded to produce elite campaigns in 2020 and ’22. The Mets rewarded him with a five-year, $102 million contract before he reached free agency in November 2022.
That contract began inauspiciously, as Díaz tore the patellar tendon in his right knee during the World Baseball Classic and missed the entire ’23 campaign. But he rebounded to give the Mets a solid season in 2024 and another elite one this summer, making his opt-out an obvious move. Rather than accept the $38 million remaining on his deal, Díaz will enter free agency at age 31 in search of a longer contract term and greater riches.
The Mets should be highly incentivized to re-sign him, given both a weak free-agent class and a lack of surefire options in their bullpen. But plenty of teams across baseball need relief help and may be willing to spend for Díaz, who profiles as by far their best reliever available. Should the Mets fail to re-sign Díaz, alternative options include Robert Suarez, Kenley Jansen and Emilio Pagán.
Similarly, Alonso’s decision was a simple one; as far back as Spring Training, he indicated his goal was to opt out of this deal and pursue a longer-term one. The Mets should again have interest in re-signing Alonso, who has played his entire seven-year career in Flushing.
Minter exercised his contract option after missing most of this season with a torn left lat muscle. A healthy Minter might have chosen to test the open market for a second consecutive year, but without a platform season on which to stand, he will instead return to the Mets’ bullpen.
Starter Frankie Montas also exercised a $17 million player option for 2025, which he was a lock to accept while he rehabs from Tommy John surgery.