Edwin Díaz and the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday reportedly reached an agreement on a three-year, $69 million deal. What does Díaz’s reportedly agreeing to join the Dodgers mean for the New York Mets?
Once finalized, Díaz’s deal would set a record for the highest average annual value for a relief pitcher ever. The Mets clearly did not want to go that high, and now Devin Williams is expected to take on the ninth inning in Queens. The Mets signed Williams to a three-year, $51 million deal last week.
In the end, Díaz is reportedly getting $18 million more than Williams. The Mets may be looking to save money to pursue other free agents and may feel comfortable with Williams as the closer. Before his disaster season with the New York Yankees, Williams was arguably the best closer in baseball.
After the Milwaukee Brewers traded Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres in 2022, Williams took over as the closer. The following season, he won his second National League Trevor Hoffman Reliever of the Year Award. Williams has 86 saves in his career between the Brewers and Yankees and could bounce back after a down season.
Last season, Williams had a 4.79 ERA and lost the closer job multiple times. However, he was starting to pitch better in the second half of the season and had some stretches where he looked dominant again. In the second half of the season, Williams had the second-highest strikeout rate among pitchers with at least 25 innings of work, 39.3%.
The Mets could still get involved in the reliever market, but with Williams already in Queens, they may not be targeting closers. Had they not signed Williams, losing Díaz would likely have forced them to heavily pursue other closers.
More MLB: Dodgers ‘In Talks’ to Trade for Tarik Skubal: Report