Reese Kaplan -- Suppose Edwin Diaz Indeed Hits the Road?

The other elephant in the room is closer Edwin Diaz.  Like Alonso, Diaz has an opt-out clause in his contract not just this year but each of the next few years as well.  Standing pat would amount to a $3 million reduction in pay compared to what he earned in 2025 so it’s certainly reasonable he would consider exercising it after the kind of year he just finished.

Though the saves number is modest at 28, that really has as much to do with the club’s horrific season than any failure on his part.  Look at his numbers — 62 games, 1.66 ERA for the season, 13.3 strikeouts per 9 IP and just 2.8 walks over that same interval.  Opposing hitters sported a mere .164 batting average against him.  Yeah, pretty much any team with deep pockets would be interested in Diaz if he became available to the highest bidder.

In a weird way the Mets might be more inclined to work on satisfying Diaz with numbers to his satisfaction than they would be with Alonso.  For one thing, the overall cost for Diaz is considerably lower than it would be for their market testing first baseman.  For another they really don’t have much in the way of in-house options to replace him if he departs. 

Assuming for the moment that Diaz does indeed find a higher average annual value and/or a greater number of years than what the Mets have provided in his current contract, what would the Mets do to reshape their roster?  Let’s look at four options.

Devin Williams would most definitely be on David Stearns’ radar was they have a shared history in Milwaukee.  He has produced some very solid numbers during his career.  He owns a career 2.65 ERA with a 31-16 record and 86 saves.  His first foray outside of Milwaukee did not go well when he produced for the Yankees a very un-Williams year with an ERA of 4.79.  Coming off a down year but with rock solid credentials and great familiarity you would expect him to be a high-on-the-radar option for the Mets.  Coming off an $8.25 million salary and a poor year he’s not going to break the bank if the Mets need to find a new closer.

Another option to consider is Atlanta Braves reliever Raisel Iglesias.  At age 35 and coming off a $16 million salary he’s not going to be an inexpensive nor long term solution, but his career numbers are indeed impressive.  He’s got a 2.90 ERA from 2015 through 2025 accompanied by 253 saves.  Between the Reds, Angels and Braves he’s always been a formidable opponent for hitters.  While this past year his ERA climbed to 3.21 his batting average against was still highly respectable at .206.  He’s a decent but not eye popping strikeout pitcher and if he would sign a short deal he wouldn’t break the bank either.

The third option is going to cause many fans to fetch their pitchforks but remember that Ryan Helsley was a stellar relief pitcher before his August and first half of September struggles with the Mets.  In the final two weeks of September while everything else fell apart Helsley pitched like an All Star level relief pitcher.  The 30 year old former Cardinal owns a career ERA of 2.96 even after factoring in his horrific stint for six weeks as a Met.  He also has a winning record and once saved 49 games during the 2024 season.  Opposing hitters have a .209 batting average against him.  He was earning $8.25 million during the 2025 season and now is a free agent.

The sole in-house option for the Mets to consider is late September addition who didn’t get into a single inning pitched, Dylan Ross.  The big righthander advanced all the way from Port St. Lucie to the Mets roster in just two minor league seasons.  He is a strikeout artist with 13.3 per 9 innings pitched but it is accompanied by problems issuing too many bases on balls.  His 50 game minor league career is highlighted by a 2.13 ERA.  No one knows how he will fare against big league hitters and whether or not he can harness his free passes, but at this point he’s the most appealing guy on the overall Mets roster.