What Mets’ David Stearns said about Edwin Díaz’s departure and what happens next

ORLANDO — Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns had an opportunity to tell his side of the story on Tuesday evening.

Hours had passed since news of Edwin Díaz’s departure for the Dodgers in free agency broke at the Winter Meetings.

The Mets’ longtime closer and the best reliever available on the open market this winter had joined forces with the best team in baseball, the two-time defending champs.

Stearns didn’t address Díaz’s decision, though. He refused to speak directly to the closer’s agreement with the Dodgers because the reliever’s deal with Los Angeles isn’t official yet.

“Obviously, I’ve seen the reporting,” Stearns said, “but since the deal is not official, I can’t comment on it. I’m very optimistic about where our offseason is headed. We’ve got certainly work to do, but there are a lot of good players out there and I’m confident that we’re really going to like where our team is once we get to Opening Day.”

Scroll through social media on Tuesday and it’s clear Mets fans don’t share that same confidence.

Díaz accepted the Dodgers’ contract offer of three years and $69 million. At $23 million per year, Díaz set a new record for average annual value for a reliever. Meanwhile, the Mets’ final offer was reportedly $66 million with some deferrals.

The expectation was that Díaz could leave the Mets this winter if another team wowed his camp in contract talks. Maybe another club was willing to give Díaz four or five years in free agency despite his age and inevitable decline. Stearns has a reputation for steering clear from those types of multi-year deals with relievers. With owner Steve Cohen in charge, though — and knowing what Díaz meant to the Mets and their bullpen — it was hard to believe another team would outbid New York by a wide margin.

So, why did Díaz leave over a difference of $3 million? How could the Mets not match that number to keep Díaz in a Mets uniform?

According to SNY’s Andy Martino, the Mets and Cohen didn’t have a chance to increase their offer in one last push to keep Díaz.

“They didn’t draw their line in the sand, because they didn’t have the chance,” Martino said on SNY’s Baseball Night in New York. “They made it very clear to Díaz’s camp that there was a little bit more, so let’s talk again. And then they found out that Díaz was a Dodger.”

Martino continued: “The conversation about ‘if Steve Cohen wanted to make this happen, he would have.’ He didn’t get the chance. They were in a bidding process and they didn’t know it was over.”

That leads to more question marks.

Why did Díaz prefer the Dodgers? Was it because of all the coaching turnover within the Mets’ clubhouse? Did Alexis Díaz, Edwin’s brother, convince him after spending last season in Los Angeles? That’s what Mike Puma of the New York Post wrote on Tuesday. Does Díaz simply believe the Dodgers give him a better chance to contend for a championship?

Stearns wouldn’t bite on any questions about the closer. No matter how they were phrased, he repeated that he wasn’t going to comment specifically on any rumors or reports until they are official.

What Stearns did indicate is that the Mets’ decision to sign Devin Williams earlier this offseason — a three-year deal worth $51 million — impacted the Díaz negotiations.

“Once you add to a certain part of your team, that will change the calculus and how you look at your team in general,” Stearns said. “So we’re very pleased to be able to add Devin. We think he’s a really good reliever. As I’ve said, he’s one of one of the best relievers in baseball. I think we’re gonna see that.”

Stearns insisted that he’s comfortable with Williams closing for the Mets moving forward. That’s a risk to bank on Williams recapturing his elite form from his Brewers days after the way this past season with the Yankees went — even with all the metrics that suggest he was unlucky and better than his ERA in 2025 — but Stearns doesn’t sound concerned in the slightest.

“I’ve certainly seen Devin perform at a very high level for a long time,” Stearns said. “Have full confidence that he can be one of the best relievers in baseball. I think he’s very motivated to do that and I’m looking forward to watching.”

Asked if he will acquire another high-end reliever this offseason to pair with Williams, Stearns offered up a “we’ll see.”

“I think we’re having plenty of conversations,” Stearns said. “I think there are different ways to build a bullpen and we’re going to continue to explore all of them.”