The Mets might not want to waste time when it comes to locking up right-hander Edwin Diaz. The free agent market for closers could move quickly.
One of the most intriguing storylines of the 2025-2026 MLB offseason is the high-leverage relief market. Diaz headlines a group of free agents that includes right-handers Robert Suarez, Devin Williams, Ryan Helsley, Raisel Iglesias and Pete Fairbanks. At the general manager meetings in Las Vegas last week, executives opted against making predictions as to when the top closers would start coming off the board, but there was plenty of speculation that it would be soon.
Some of the league’s biggest players will be competing for these closers. The Mets, of course, want to retain the 31-year-old Diaz, and the feelings appear to be mutual. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants pose threats out west, and even within the division, the Atlanta Braves are in need of a closer as well and the Toronto Blue Jays are rumored to be looking for one so they can move Jeff Hoffman to a ninth-inning role.
Diaz has already been linked to the Dodgers, and while it’s unclear how serious their interest is, you can never count out the two-time defending World Series champs.
The Mets extended a qualifying offer to Diaz that he rejected. The Dodgers certainly wouldn’t be scared of losing a draft pick by signing Diaz, the price a team pays for a player that has been extended a qualifying offer. According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Diaz is likely to get a four-year, $80 million contract, which would likely exclude teams like the Miami Marlins and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Pirates traded closer David Bednar to the Yankees at the deadline in July, and when asked about the closer market last week, Brian Cashman said he’s happy to have Bednar. It’s going to be a tough market to project, but the Yankees still plan to check in on most of the top relievers to do their due diligence, just as the Mets will do as well.
However, Cashman didn’t mention Williams, who struggled with the Yankees last season, his first after six with the Milwaukee Brewers. It appears as though a reunion with the Yankees is unlikely, but Passan sees a path for Williams in New York.
That path is through Queens. Williams is connected to Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns from their days in Milwaukee, and Stearns has been known to bring former Brewers into the fold, trading for Tyrone Taylor and Adrian Houser two years ago. At 31, Williams is younger than many of the top relievers on the market.
But after posting a 4.79 ERA in 62 innings last season, there are legitimate questions about whether Williams can handle pitching in New York. The Yankees had to move him out of the closer role and acquired two more at the trade deadline, Bednar and Camilo Doval. His underlying numbers weren’t much different from what they had been most of his career, it seemed to be wild swings of inconsistencies that plagued Williams the most.
Still, his changeup is still a plus pitch. If the Mets can somehow get Williams and Diaz, they can move the former to a setup role. If what the club is seeking is two elite high-leverage arms for the back end, another option to consider for a setup role would be Pete Fairbanks, who had a stellar season for the Tampa Bay Rays last year, with a 2.83 ERA over 60 1/3 innings with 27 saves. Helsley would have been a great option, but bringing him back would be a hard sell with the fanbase.
Left-hander Brooks Raley could be used in a setup role, but the Mets like to deploy him in high-leverage situations with left-handed hitters. With A.J. Minter set to return next season, and Richard Lovelady signed to a Major League contract, the Mets already have some left-handers in place. Left-hander Nathan Lavender, returned to the Mets by the Rays recently as a Rule 5 pick, is also an intriguing option in the bullpen.
The bullpen will be remade with outside help, via trades or free agency, but regardless of who they bring in to pitch the sixth or seventh innings, Diaz needs to be the priority for the ninth.
