There are months to go before the start of the next Major League Baseball season, but the New York Mets already have headaches regarding the makeup of their roster for 2026. As soon as free agency opened, the team received the news that their star closer, Puerto Rican Edwin Diaz, has decided to opt out of his contract and test the market.
Although this possibility was already being discussed in various specialized circles, the closer had not made public his intention to forgo the two years and $38 million remaining on the contract he signed in 2022 for five seasons and $102 million.
A gem in the market
This move will make Diaz one of the most attractive relievers on the market alongside Venezuelan Robert Suarez, who also decided to opt out of his contract with the San Diego Padres.
The numbers back up the Puerto Rican right-hander, who in 2025 recorded 28 saves and a 1.63 ERA in 62 appearances. He also struck out 98 batters and his WHIP was 0.874, the third most notable value of his MLB career. All these merits earned him a selection to the All-Star Game.
However, Diaz could not prevent the abrupt fall of the Mets, eliminated from the postseason in a combined attack by the Marlins and the Reds in the last week of the campaign. This failure at the hands of two teams with very poor budgets compared to the astronomical squad of the Metropolitans has generated logical doubts about the future.
This may have been one of the reasons that led Edwin Diaz to try his luck in free agency, a territory hitherto unexplored for him. The search for a competitive team, with the ability to fight for titles, should be the priority of the right-hander and that detail may keep him away from the Mets.
Either way, the management led by Steve Cohen and David Stearns will do everything possible to bring back a top-class closer, who has achieved 253 saves in his career, the second most in the majors since his debut in 2016, only surpassed by Kenley Jansen (334).
The big fish competition
However, the Mets know they will face fierce competition for the right-hander, who has already been linked with the Yankees, Orioles and Dodgers, teams that have bullpen urgencies.
The Yankees have seen Luke Weaver and Devin Williams leave in free agency, leaving them with only David Bednar as a stellar closer. These moves make Diaz’s option fit like a glove on a staff that had many problems in 2025 with its second-tier pitchers.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, despite winning the World Series, showed many shortcomings in their bullpen, to the point that they had to move their starters to the role of relievers in the decisive games. Neither Tanner Scott nor Blake Treinen offered guarantees, which could put the Los Angeles team in a dispute for the Puerto Rican.
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