The most irreplaceable piece of the Mets pitching staff this season — even ahead of Jacob deGrom — may have resided in the bullpen.
Edwin Diaz had the kind of season that will likely garner him several MVP and Cy Young award votes, after establishing himself as baseball’s best closer in 2022.
Now it’s time for him to get paid. About to become a free agent, Diaz (who earned $10.2 million this season) will have a chance to crack $100 million in a new contract and become the highest-paid reliever in baseball.
“I hope the team comes quick to me to talk,” Diaz said Sunday after the Mets were eliminated from the postseason.
It begs the question whether the Mets might strike before the 29-year-old Diaz officially reaches free agency after the World Series. Could the Mets cement a deal before Diaz hits the open market?
It’s a tactic the Mets should at least consider, but it will take a willing participant in Diaz, who has waited this long to reach free agency and might want to see what kind of bidding war would occur for his services.
Edwin Diaz Corey Sipkin But the Mets also have an owner in Steve Cohen who can make an aggressive offer that might entice Diaz to forgo the dance and allow the organization to focus in other directions.
An elite closer earning in the $20 million-a-year neighborhood is a luxury item that only a handful of teams will entertain. But the Yankees, Dodgers, Giants, Phillies, Cubs and Red Sox fit the profile of teams that might have interest in Diaz, who pitched to a 1.31 ERA in 61 appearances this season with 118 strikeouts in 62 innings. Diaz had 32 saves in 35 chances, and was perfect in that category over the last four-plus months of the regular season.
Along the way, his entrances became an event at Citi Field, with Timmy Trumpet’s “Narco” blaring through the sound system to announce his entrance into a game.
“I hope I can come back here,” Diaz said. “If not, I understand — it’s a business. We’ll go the best way with my family.
“I haven’t talked about [free agency] with my agent and my family because we were concentrating to play in the playoffs. Now I got the chance to think about that, and see with my family and we will make the best decision for me.”
Only increasing the sense of urgency for the Mets to re-sign Diaz is the fact Adam Ottavino, Seth Lugo and Trevor May, among others, are also headed to free agency. There isn’t an obvious internal option to become the closer should Diaz depart, which would leave the Mets hunting in the free-agent market.
Kenley Jansen and Craig Kimbrel headline that class, but both are veteran pitchers with plenty of mileage on their right arms who had roller-coaster seasons. Kimbrel’s ninth-inning struggles led to the Dodgers excluding him from their NLDS roster. The next wave of names includes Taylor Rogers, Andrew Chafin and Michael Fulmer.
DeGrom’s departure wouldn’t be ideal for the Mets (the ace right-hander has indicated he will opt out from his contract and become a free agent), but can be withstood. Losing Diaz would potentially hurt more.
