David Stearns and the New York Mets’ job of rebuilding their bullpen got that much harder on Tuesday, when star closer Edwin Diaz agreed to a deal to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, per multiple reports.
The contract will pay him $69 million over the next three seasons — $3 million more than what New York reportedly offered.
Diaz opted out of the last two years and $38 million of his deal with the Mets to hit free agency this summer, which Stearns responded to with an initial qualifying offer worth $22.025 million. That was declined, as the 31-year-old was understandably looking for one more long-term, big-money payday.
The Mets will receive a post-fourth-round 2026 draft pick as compensation for Diaz joining the two-time defending champions.
His departure creates even more work for Stearns, who already had a significant task in retooling the bullpen. He brought in former Brewers and Yankees closer Devin Williams as a late-inning option, though his career-worst year during his lone season in the Bronx creates understandable questions about his viability as a dependable closer.
Stearns is reportedly in on Brewers closer Trevor Megill, whom the NL Central club is making available in trade talks alongside ace Freddy Peralta. The brother of Mets starter Tylor Megill racked up 30 saves with a 2.49 ERA last season.
Should the Brewers opt not to deal Megill, though, the closer’s job appears to be Williams’ to lose with the Mets in 2026. That might be a significant gamble, considering he lost the closer job with the Yankees this past season.
The right-hander had an 11.25 ERA in April and managed to shrink it to 4.79 by season’s end. His underlying analytics were promising, though. His expected batting average (xBA) of .195 was in MLB’s 96th percentile, his 35% chase rate and 34.7% strikeout rate were in the 97th, and his 37.7% whiff rate was in the 99th.
If New York has legitimate pennant aspirations in 2026 and beyond, letting Diaz walk to the Dodgers makes things that much more difficult. The juggernaut LA franchise, which knocked the Mets out of the NLCS two years ago, won its second straight World Series on Nov. 1 despite not having a legitimate closer. Now, the fireballing right-hander makes the formidable appear all the more indomitable.
Diaz is coming off a dominant season in Queens in which he posted a 1.63 ERA with 28 saves and 98 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched, re-cementing himself as one of the game’s top closers after his freak injury at the 2023 World Baseball Classic with Team Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, the foundation of the Mets’ bullpen features Williams, Brooks Raley, and AJ Minter, who is coming off lat surgery that ended his season last spring.
Diaz was acquired from the Seattle Mariners prior to the 2019 season alongside Robinson Cano in the high-profile deal that sent former top prospect Jarred Kelenic out west. In seven seasons, he compiled a 2.92 ERA with 144 saves, which ranks third in franchise history behind John Franco and Armando Benitez.
