Edwin Díaz
Position: Closer
Throws: Right
Age: 28 (3/22/1994)
2022 Traditional Stats: 61 G, 32 SV, 62.0 IP, 1.31 ERA, 0.839 WHIP, 3-1 W/L, 118 K, 18 BB
2022 Advanced Stats: 297 ERA+, 50.2 K%, 7.7 BB%, 1.69 xERA, 0.90 FIP, 1.04 xFIP, 3.0 fWAR, 3.2 bWAR
Rundown
Edwin Díaz was the headliner in the trade that brought him to Queens from Seattle after posting an MLB-leading 57 saves in 2018 with the Mariners.
While many focused on whether Robinson Canó could defeat Father Time or if Jarred Kelenic could take the league by storm and live up to his larger-than-life hype, Díaz was the real prize of the deal. His early struggles in Queens didn’t help. Pitching to a 5.59 ERA in 2019, Díaz looked like a shell of himself in New York.
Fast-forward three years, and Díaz has basically washed all the stench of his early struggles away. If it lingers for anyone, those struggles are drowned out by the fact that Díaz has not only returned to his pre-trade form, he has become the unquestioned best closer in all of baseball.
Powered by a routinely 100+ mph fastball and one of the nastiest sliders in the game, and a little magic from Timmy Trumpet, Díaz was absolutely dominant in 2022. The stats speak for themselves. We could discuss the fact that Díaz struck out over half the batters he faced, or his 1.31 ERA, or his 32 saves, the list goes on and on. But Díaz brought something to Queens, to the locker room and to the fanbase that was sorely needed: confidence, swagger and a whole lot of fun.
Ask any Met fan, the trumpets were their favorite part of the game’s presentation. This part of his game can’t be understated in his free agency. SNY leaned into it on the broadcasts, Mr. and Mrs. Met played trumpets and the fans went nuts every time Díaz trotted from the bullpen. And the whole building knew the ballgame was over when Díaz took the mound.
Contract
Díaz played 2022 under his final arbitration contract, a one-year deal worth $10.2 million. His previous two deals had followed the typical arbitration arc at $5.1 million and $7 million in 2020 and ’21, respectively, so this off-season is his first opportunity to be paid what the market will bring. And for the best closer in the game, it will likely bring a lot.
Díaz already was the tenth-highest-paid relief pitcher in all of baseball this year. As a sample of what Díaz’s next contract might bring, the top-paid relief pitchers in 2022 were Liam Hendriks and Aroldis Chapman at $18 million and Kenley Jansen at $16 million. It’s reasonable to assume Díaz’s deal will be in this neighborhood in terms of average annual value.
Spotrac’s Market Value tool estimates Díaz’ next deal to be for four years at a little over $16 million in AAV. With multiple teams rumored to be interested, that number is likely accurate, if not a little low.
Recommendation
The running theme ever since Steve Cohen took over the Mets has been that money isn’t an object and the Mets can spend as much as needed to bring a World Series to Queens.
While there is some truth to that, bringing back Díaz should even be a no-brainer for a cash-strapped team, much less the richest owner in baseball.
Earlier in October, we ranked the priority of free agents the Mets should sign. It featured Jacob deGrom at No. 1 and Díaz at No. 2. While the list was mostly well-received, many Met fans commented and threw their support behind Díaz as the Mets’ top priority to bring back to Queens.
The fans love Díaz, and it’s going to be a hard pill to swallow if he leaves. MMO‘s Michael Mayer reported Steve Cohen wants to lock down Diaz before he even gets a chance to hit free agency. Could four years and $80 million get it done?
