December 9 will go down as the day the New York Mets lost one of the best closers in baseball. Edwin Díaz, unable to be convinced to stay despite the fan love and his own history with the franchise, signed a 3-year, $69 million free-agent deal with the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
That ends an era in Queens that saw Díaz win National League Reliever of the Year in both 2022 and 2025.
He was the heartbeat of the bullpen, a Citi Field icon, and arguably the one player who could have taken the Mets to the next level. Now he’s gone – and the anger is pointed straight at president of baseball operations David Stearns.
Social media erupted:
“The Mets were fine signing Devin Williams for 3 years, $51M but couldn’t give the best closer in baseball 3 years, $69M?”
“Just an awful job here by Stearns and company. No other way around it.” – @JakeBrownLive
@MetsFanJason posted side-by-side contract graphics of Díaz vs. Williams with the caption: “Fire David Stearns.”
According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets did offer Díaz three years – the same length as the Dodgers – but only $66 million and with deferred money. To fans, refusing to go the extra $3 million to keep the best closer on the market feels indefensible.
Díaz’s 2025 line: 1.63 ERA over 66 innings – the second-best mark of his career and the best in the entire National League.
The Mets pivoted quickly by signing Devin Williams (who struggled after being traded to the Yankees), and they’re still in the mix for Robert Suárez, but good luck convincing another elite closer to pick Queens when the Dodgers just showed the blueprint for winning.
After collapsing down the stretch in 2025, losing the NL East lead and missing the playoffs entirely, this feels like the first major blow of what could be another long, frustrating season in Flushing.
Read the full article here
