ORLANDO — A wrecking ball was already taken to the core of the Mets when they traded Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien a few weeks ago. Now, with Edwin Diaz going to the Los Angeles Dodgers, it’s as though part of the heart of the team is gone too.
The mood around the Mets at the Winter Meetings is shock. A source close to Diaz said the closer had indicated he wanted to return to the Mets. A source confirmed to the Daily News the Mets offered him three years at $66 million with deferrals, with room to go up. Instead, on Tuesday morning, Diaz took the Dodgers’ deal for three years at $69 million.
President of baseball operations David Stearns, Steve Cohen’s handpicked chief executive, now faces tremendous pressure to fix a team that appears to have regressed since signing Juan Soto to a record, 15-year mega-deal a year ago. The fans are, understandably, livid with the loss.
Of all teams, it had to be the Dodgers. It just had to be the two-time defending World Series champs, the team that ended the Mets’ magical run through the 2024 playoffs and the team that always seems to be standing in the way of the team that was created to fill the void the Dodgers left when they went west in 1958.
The Mets had to know the Dodgers were always a threat. Every team in baseball knows Los Angeles is a perennial threat to sign away the top talent in the game, and Diaz is a top closer. A 31-year-old with an upper 90s fastball that has devastating movement, and a slider that misses bats. A three-time All-Star and a three-time Reliever of the Year winner, Diaz electrified Citi Field with his trumpeted entrance music and his ability to work out just about any jam to save games.
He saved 144 of them with the Mets, the third-most of all-time, behind John Franco and Armando Benitez.
Regardless of how badly he wanted to return, feelings and situations can change in an instant during free agent negotiations. The Dodgers know how to win, while the Mets are still figuring that out. Somehow, the Mets managed to regress after coming within two games of a World Series appearance in 2024 and signing Soto, a generational hitter. It’s not a great look for the organization right now.
An even worse look: This is the third pitcher in three years the Dodgers have convinced to sign in sunny So Cal instead of in Flushing, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki spurning the Mets and others for the Dodgers. The Mets have the richest owner in baseball and the expectation with that is that you get what you want. You go after what you want and use the financial might to get it.
Maybe it’s not that simple. Diaz not giving the Mets a chance to counter certainly doesn’t indicate that he wanted to return, but a month ago at the MLB Awards show in Las Vegas, he estimated his chances of returning to the Mets were “50-50.” Until Diaz himself explains his decision, we won’t know what changed and why he didn’t give the Mets a chance to counter.
But we do know what has changed for the Mets. They have holes up and down their roster, including starting pitching, the outfield and first base. Right-hander Devin Williams, who signed a three-year, $51 million contract with the Mets last week, will step into the role left by Diaz. The former Milwaukee Brewers closer was signed as an insurance policy of sorts. It turns out, the Mets needed that insurance.
It’s not clear how they plan to replace the offensive firepower lost by Nimmo. They seem tepid at best when it comes to re-signing first baseman Pete Alonso, which would create an even bigger offensive hole to fill. Kyle Schwarber is no longer an option after re-signing with the Philadelphia Phillies shortly before Diaz and the Dodgers agreed to their pact.
The Mets probably need to take a hard look at themselves and how they operate. This week in Orlando, they’ve had to fend off questions about clubhouse discord and operating in a manner far too reserved for a major market club. It might behoove them to look around to see the professional standards of other teams and see how they compare to their own.
Not all is lost for the Mets, but it’s a devastating start to the Winter Meetings, no less.
