How Mets botched a reunion with Edwin Diaz

It was a tough day for New York Mets fans, as the team lost their superstar closer Edwin Díaz to the reigning World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Díaz, who joined the National League foe on a three-year, $69 million deal, was never a guarantee to return to Queens. But when the terms of his contract with the Dodgers were released, many were left scratching their heads wondering how the Mets were unable to match an offer that was shorter than the last contract he signed back in 2022. Things only got more confusing when it was reported that New York had a very similar offer of three years, $66 million out to Díaz with “room to improve” the figure.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan provided some important context on the matter in an appearance on SportsCenter later on Tuesday night, explaining that Díaz was “not happy” when the Mets signed reliever Devin Williams without “giving him a heads up.”

Passan added that the deal “came together quickly,” and that the disgruntled Díaz was willing to join the Dodgers despite their unwillingness to go longer than three years. But at $69 million over three years, the nine-year vet will earn the most average annual value ever for a closer, which, Passan believes, “the Mets simply were not going to match.”

UPDATE

The split between Edwin Díaz and the Mets started when the pitcher “did not get a call giving him a heads up” about the decision to sign reliever Devin Williams, per @JeffPassan pic.twitter.com/9DlTk3pzpw

— SleeperMets (@SleeperMets) December 10, 2025Mets lose Edwin Díaz over lack of communication

At the time of the Williams signing, the Mets still appeared well positioned to retain Díaz to complete a formidable back end of their bullpen. In some ways, adding Williams to his three-year $51 million deal provided some insurance if Díaz did leave, but he also gave the club some added leverage in their negotiations.

But the maneuver clearly backfired, as Díaz felt slighted that David Stearns neglected to call him before adding another closer. According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Díaz’s camp is not believed to have circled back with the Mets to give them a final offer, more evidence to suggest that his mind was set on leaving.

When asked about signing, Steans acknowledged the reporting but refused to “comment on the specifics” because the deal has not been made official. Stearns added, however, that he is “very optimistic about where [the] offseason is headed,” affirming that he is “confident that we’re really going to like where our team is once we get to Opening Day.”

When asked if Williams would be the Mets’ closer if the season started today, Stearns indeed confirmed this plan, saying they are “very comfortable with that.”

“We’ve certainly seen Devin perform at a very high level for a long time,” he 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 that.”

David Stearns sort-of addresses Edwin Díaz’s agreement with the Dodgers: pic.twitter.com/KoL5UEBgd9

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) December 9, 2025

Moving forward, the Mets will have to look for other ways to improve the bullpen, whether it be adding another potential closer in Pete Fairbanks or Robert Suárez or committing to Williams in the ninth inning role and moving on to other high-leverage options. When asked if they will add another high-end bullpen arm, Stearns said they are “having plenty of conversations,” but left it at “we’ll see.”

Regardless of their next move, Stearns and the front office’s inability to land one of their franchise greats on what ended up being a very manageable contract is concerning. With Brandon Nimmo and Díaz now gone and Pete Alonso mulling his many options in free agency, Stearns appears to be holding up his promise not to “run it back” with the same team that missed the postseason last year.

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How Mets botched a reunion with Edwin Diaz

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