A funny thing happens every winter when the hot stove really starts to hum. You look up, realize two of the biggest names in free agency are Mets, and suddenly half the league seems to be circling like shoppers eyeing the last big-ticket item on the shelf. That’s where Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso have lived for weeks now, navigating meetings, calls, and quiet conversations about value. The Mets want them back, of course, but the market has a way of telling players who they’ve become. And these two have become marquee talents in very different ways.
The Yankees Angle That Won’t Quite Go Away
Whenever a star Mets player hits free agency, the Yankees tend to creep into the conversation whether they’re legitimately involved or not. The idea of Alonso in pinstripes never really made sense given how the Yankees are built and where their money is already committed, but Diaz? That one lingered. A reliever with a 1.63 ERA in 2025 who struck out 98 hitters last season could walk into any bullpen and instantly elevate it. You don’t need an advanced metric to see the appeal.
Pairing him with David Bednar and Camilo Doval would give the Yankees the kind of late-inning trio teams spend years trying to construct. On paper, it’s almost unfair. But this winter hasn’t been about paper for the Yankees. It’s been about targeted decisions and a narrower lane of spending than fans might be used to.
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What Jack Curry’s Read Reveals
Jack Curry’s comments on Yankees Hot Stove were telling, not just because he poured cold water on the Diaz speculation, but because he explained the plan with a confidence that suggested real internal clarity. The Yankees didn’t trade for Bednar to hedge. They traded for Bednar to close in 2026. That means they aren’t dabbling in the upper tiers of the relief market, and they aren’t preparing a splash for Diaz.
When reporters like Curry and Jon Heyman line up on the same point, that usually means the conversation inside the building is settled. Diaz isn’t part of the Yankees’ blueprint. They aren’t pushing for him, and they aren’t entertaining the contract he’s seeking.
The Market Reality Working Against Diaz
Even the Mets and Dodgers, two teams capable of making uncomfortable offers when they feel it’s justified, have balked at Diaz’s desire for five years and roughly $20 million annually. The Mets, according to recent reporting, have capped their interest at three years. It’s not a surprise. Relievers age unpredictably, and long-term deals at that price carry the kind of volatility executives try to avoid after being burned by similar commitments in the past.
What makes this tricky is Diaz isn’t just any reliever. At his best, he’s a seismic weapon. But teams aren’t paying for “at his best” anymore. They pay for durability, predictability, and the confidence that a pitcher can hold value through the final season of a contract. A five-year pact for a high-octane closer tests all three of those categories.
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Where the Mets Stand Now
For the Mets, the negotiation sits in that delicate space between wanting the player and refusing to lose the negotiation. David Stearns has shown little interest in emotion-driven decisions. If he says three years is the line, he means it. And while the Mets would absolutely benefit from Diaz returning, they can’t allow sentiment or past performance to dictate a contract that could bind them well into a new competitive window.
Alonso’s situation is its own saga, but Diaz may be the one forcing the Mets to answer a tougher question. How much do they value certainty in a role that almost never offers it?
It feels like a winter where the Mets are trying to build something steadier, smarter, more sustainably competitive. Letting the market decide whether Diaz returns might just be part of that approach.
And if the line really is three years, we’re about to find out how much Diaz is willing to bend to stay in Queens. The Yankees, at least right now, aren’t fully invested.