The Mets are making serious moves to shore up the back end of their bullpen, signing Devin Williams to a three-year deal that gives them a proven closer heading into 2026. But don’t take that as a hard stop on the Edwin Díaz era in Queens. The door’s still open - and interestingly, Williams seems just fine with that.
According to reports, the Mets remain interested in bringing Díaz back, even after landing Williams. And Williams, the newly signed reliever, isn’t demanding the ninth inning.
In fact, he’s reportedly open to sliding into a setup role if Díaz returns. That’s a rare bit of humility from a guy who’s more than capable of closing games himself - and it speaks volumes about the Mets’ potential bullpen depth if they can pull this off.
Díaz, who turned down a qualifying offer, is looking for a long-term deal in the five-year, $100 million range. That’s elite closer money, and for good reason.
He’s coming off a dominant season - a 1.63 ERA, a 38% strikeout rate, and 28 saves in 31 chances. That’s not just good; that’s elite, shutdown-stuff good.
He’s the kind of guy who changes the entire feel of a game the moment he starts warming up.
At an awards event last month, Díaz pegged his chances of returning to New York at “50-50,” adding that he’d love to stay if the Mets made the best offer. But as he put it, “I don’t know what they’re thinking.” Now, with Williams in the fold, the Mets might feel a little less pressure to bring him back - especially if it means collecting a compensatory draft pick if he signs elsewhere.
Still, this bullpen isn’t a finished product. Even with Williams, the Mets have work to do in the late innings.
Free agency has thinned out their options - Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley, Gregory Soto, and Ryne Stanek are all on the market. If Williams is the guy in the ninth, that leaves Huascar Brazoban as the top right-handed setup option.
That’s a solid arm, but not enough to navigate the gauntlet of high-leverage situations over a full season. They’ll need at least two more reliable bullpen arms to feel good about their depth.
And let’s be real - as good as Williams is, Díaz is still a cut above. Williams has the track record, the nasty changeup, and the analytics to back him up, but he’s coming off a bit of an up-and-down year with the Yankees.
There’s upside, but also some uncertainty. Díaz, on the other hand, is as steady as they come when healthy.
If the Mets can pair the two - Díaz in the ninth, Williams in the eighth - they’d have one of the most intimidating back-end duos in baseball.
As for Díaz’s market, the Blue Jays are the only team publicly connected to him so far. But don’t be surprised if other contenders jump into the mix.
Teams like the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees, Tigers, Red Sox, Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Angels all have reasons to be in on high-leverage bullpen arms. Closers with Díaz’s resume don’t hit the open market often.
For now, the Mets have given themselves a safety net with Williams. But if they want to turn a good bullpen into a dominant one, the next step is clear: bring Díaz back and let the late innings take care of themselves.