According to Bob Nightengale and confirmed by various other reports, Edwin Diaz is staying with the New York Mets. The deal is for five years, $102 million. There’s also an opt-out clause, a full no-trade clause, and a sixth-year option. This deal is the first-ever nine-figure contract for a closer in major league baseball history. This also currently makes Diaz the highest-paid reliever in baseball
Diaz is coming off the best season of his career. It is also one of the best seasons a closer has ever had. The 28-year old finished the 2022 season with a 1.31 ERA, and 32 saves. He also tied his career low in blown saves with three, which he had only previously accomplished in his rookie season back in 2016.
After a rough 2019 season, Diaz has proved the naysayers wrong, and thrived in New York. What was once looked at as an abysmal deal in 2018 where former top prospect Jarred Kelenic was given up, now looks like a very good deal for New York. The Mets managed to secure Diaz less than 24 hours after the World Series ended, perhaps a promising sign for the many other free agents the team has. After the Mets’ season ended, Diaz expressed his desire to stay with the Mets. “I hope I can come back here.” Now, he is back in New York, for years to come.
Steve Cohen Standing Behind his Words
Mets General Manager Billy Eppler discussed Steve Cohen’s desire to continually financially support the Mets in any way possible. “Steve has continued to say, ‘I’ll support this cause financially. We can use money to bridge [to] ultimately where we want to take this place,’ which again is to that sustainability, where we’re winning year in, year out,” As we sit here today, there’s going to be a lot of work to do this wintertime.” Today, Cohen showed this to be true.
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