Mets' NL East rival might be top Edwin Diaz suitor

The New York Mets might be competing with one of their biggest rivals to sign Edwin Diaz in free agency.

May 30, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) reacts after getting the last out of the game against the Colorado Rockies at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

While the New York Mets have a lot of decisions to make in this upcoming MLB offseason, perhaps the easiest will be whether they should try to re-sign closer Edwin Diaz.

Diaz has the opportunity to opt out of the final two years and $37 million of his contract with the Mets this upcoming offseason. And considering that some of baseball's best relievers signed deals in the four-year, $70 million range this past offseason, it's expected that Diaz will exercise his opt-out to seek a similar long-term deal.

Read more: New York Mets make perfect sense for free agent ace

Diaz has long since solidified himself as one of baseball's premier closers, and reiterated that fact by producing a fantastic 1.63 ERA to go along with 28 saves and 98 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched for New York in 2025. And considering how mediocre the rest of the Mets bullpen was outside of Diaz, David Stearns and the rest of the front office are almost certain to try and do everything in their power to re-sign him.

However, other teams will surely try to sign him, too.

Jun 12, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) reacts after getting the final out of the game against the Washington Nationals at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Washington Nationals Called 'Dark Horse' Candidate to Sign Edwin Diaz

The Washington Nationals don't initially seem like a team that would make sense for Diaz. They historically haven't bid on top-tier free agents, and would presumably need more than an elite closer to turn their team into a playoff contender next season.

But that didn't keep Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller from calling Washington a "dark horse" suitor to sign Diaz in an October 7 article.

"Investing $70 million-$80 million in a closer is typically a 'final piece of the puzzle' sort of move, and the Nats haven't even finished assembling the border of their championship puzzle, let alone 98 percent of it. But after two decades of a lot of mediocrity and antacids in the ninth inning, maybe it could be an initial big step for Washington," Miller wrote.

Edwin Diaz is the most talented reliever this franchise has ever had pic.twitter.com/pWGFcxhfhs

— Martino Puccio (@MartinoPuccio) August 5, 2025

The Nationals have seen first-hand how elite Diaz is, as he has amassed a 3.16 ERA with 15 saves and 43 strikeouts in 36 appearances against them in his career.

If Diaz does end up leaving the Mets in favor for another team, fans would surely prefer he doesn't end up with another NL East team. However, the best-case scenario would be for Diaz to re-sign and return to Queens so that he can continue anchoring New York's bullpen for years to come.

The good news is that Diaz has made it clear that this would be his intended outcome this offseason.