Inside The Mets

Where Mets are expected to pivot if Edwin Díaz leaves

The Mets plan to "aggressively" pursue these free agent relievers if they can't re-sign Edwin Díaz.
Sep 18, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Sep 18, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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After trading away their longest tenured player in Brandon Nimmo on Sunday, the New York Mets have officially begun the major shakeup of their team after a disappointing 2025 season.

The Mets are, however, hoping to re-sign All-Star closer Edwin Díaz, who opted out of his contract with New York this offseason. As expected, he also rejected the qualifying offer; it is rumored that the hard-throwing righty is seeking a similar deal to the one he signed with the Mets in November 2022, which was a record-setting five-year, $102 million contract.

But with Díaz expected to have many suitors this winter, a reunion with the two sides at the moment seems unclear. Despite his success in a Mets uniform, which included an All-Star campaign last season, the 31-year-old described his chances of returning to Queens as "50-50".

If the Amazins' ultimately fail to re-sign Díaz, could these stellar closers be on their radar?

Mets may pursue Devin Williams and Robert Suárez if Edwin Díaz leaves

In a November 23 article for The Athletic, Will Sammon reported that the Mets plan to "aggressively" pursue closers Devin Williams and Robert Suárez if they're unable to bring back Díaz.

It was a tale of two different seasons for both Suárez and Williams in 2025.

Just like Díaz, Suárez opted out of his contract with the San Diego Padres to test the free agent waters. The 34-year-old righty had spent his first four career seasons with San Diego, and 2025 was a particularly dominant one. In 70 games, Suárez posted a 2.97 ERA with 75 strikeouts and converted 40 saves (the second most in all of baseball) in 45 opportunities.

Read More: What could be next for Mets after shocking Brandon Nimmo trade

As for Williams, his first season with the New York Yankees was a disappointing one. After being traded from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Yankees last offseason, the 31-year-old got off to a dreadful start by posting a dismal 11.25 ERA in his first 10 appearances; these struggles led to him being demoted from the closer role.

Although Williams would show improvement as a setup man and temporarily regained the closing job in early June, he ended up logging a 4-6 record with a career-worst 4.79 ERA in 62 innings of work. Nonetheless, Williams struck out an impressive 90 batters, which may indicate that his pitches themselves (especially his signature changeup) are still very effective.

The ideal and perhaps most realistic scenario for the Mets would be re-signing Díaz, especially since his 144 saves are the third most in franchise history. But Suárez and Williams are at least names to be on the lookout for if the Amazins' lose out on Díaz's free agency sweepstakes.

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Logan VanDine
LOGAN VANDINE

Logan VanDine is a contributing writer for On SI's Mets. Logan is a graduate of Rider University where he majored in Sports Media and minored in Sports Studies. During his time at Rider, Logan worked for Rider's radio station, 107.7 The Bronc as a sports host, producer and broadcaster, and for the school's paper: The Rider News. He began his time with The Rider News as a section writer for sports and was a copy editor for two years followed by being one of the sports editors during his senior year. Logan also placed third in the New Jersey Press Foundation Awards for sports feature writing. Aside from his work at On SI, he is also a writer for FanSided covering the New York Giants and Mets and also covers the Giants for Total Apex Sports. Give him a follow on X: @VandineLogan