Every offseason forces a franchise to draw a line between emotion and business, and the Mets are staring directly at that tension with Edwin Díaz. He’s been one of the best closers in baseball when healthy, the kind of late-inning force that narrows a game the moment he takes the mound. But he’s also 31, coming off another dominant season, and ready to chase the biggest payday of his career.
The Mets want him back. That part is clear. Whether they can match what the market is ready to offer is a very different question.
Díaz is still pitching like an elite closer
The Mets watched Díaz deliver another outstanding campaign in 2025. Across 66.1 innings, he posted a 1.63 ERA, struck out 13.30 batters per nine, and held an 86.1 percent left-on-base rate. His 48.4 percent ground-ball clip helped him escape traffic, and the underlying metrics were every bit as sharp as the surface numbers.
You don’t produce a 2.0 WAR season as a reliever unless you’re one of the absolute best at your job. The Mets know exactly what he brings: dominance, intimidation, and the ability to shorten games. There aren’t many relievers capable of reshaping an entire ninth inning the way Díaz can.
That’s why the price is going to be steep, and why retaining him won’t be easy.
A growing reality: Díaz isn’t giving the Mets a discount
This is where things get complicated. The Mets might hope for a hometown lean, but Díaz has lived through enough contract drama in Queens to understand how negotiations work behind closed doors. He’s watched stars like Pete Alonso push back against team-friendly attempts, and he’s seen what happens when players assume loyalty will carry the day.
Díaz made his stance perfectly clear in comments via Newsday’s Laura Albanese. “Just get the best deal for my family… I love New York. I would love to stay in New York, but if I have to go another place, I would be happy. I want to win a ring, so wherever I go, I want to win a ring and enjoy the time.”
That is not the tone of a player preparing to take a discount. That is the tone of someone ready to test the market fully and follow the money if the Mets hesitate.
He added even more clarity: “I like the organization. You know, if they came with the best deal for me, I’d enjoy to stay with them, but at the end of the day, I don’t know what they’re thinking.”
The message is simple. Bring the best offer, or watch another team do it.
What the Mets must weigh before making their push
Díaz could land a contract in the four-year, $82 million range, averaging roughly $20.5 million per season. For a 31-year-old reliever, that’s a massive number. But for a 31-year-old reliever who’s still putting up elite strikeout totals and holding runners at an elite rate, it’s the going rate for true ninth-inning certainty.
The Mets have to decide whether that price aligns with their long-term planning. They can replace innings. They can replace arms. They cannot replace the version of Díaz who slams the door in a way only a handful of relievers in baseball can.
The Mets face a crossroads
This is the kind of decision that defines an offseason. Letting an elite closer walk carries risk, especially for a team planning to contend. Overpaying a reliever at the wrong time carries risk too. But Díaz has made one thing very clear: he will sign with whoever values him most.
The Mets have to decide whether that should be them.
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