Skip to main content

Could Mets Pair Devin Williams with Edwin Diaz?

 The New York Mets are mulling the possibility of re-signing Edwin Diaz, and signing Yankees free agent reliever Devin Williams and pairing the two of them together at the back end of the Mets bullpen in 2026. That according to Jeff Passon of ESPN. 

A far cry from the initial assumption many made on social media (including yours truly) that the Mets were considering Williams as a Diaz replacement. Not true, at least not right now. 

"New York is in on Devin Williams, whose connections to those in the Mets organization, including president of baseball operations David Stearns, date to their time together with the Brewers," Passan wrote.

 "Williams is coming off the worst season of his career with the Yankees, but his peripheral numbers were excellent and his stuff still graded out well-above-average. Williams has suitors from coast to coast, though the Mets are mulling the opportunity to sign Díaz and Williams to head up a bullpen in need of a total restructuring."

If the Mets are serious, and are able to sign both relievers all the power to them.  It won't be easy of course. Diaz is arguably the best closer in the game right now, and -- no offense to John Franco -- the best closer in Mets history. 

Diaz is reportedly seeking a similar deal to the five year contract he signed with the Mets back in 2023, which was for five years at $102 million, or $20.4 million a year. He opted out of the last two years of his deal, and declined the Mets qualifying offer. 

When someone asked Diaz the chances he would give to returning to Flushing, he said it was 50-50.  


Teams like the Dodgers and Yankees could be in the market for Diaz's services, besides the Mets.  It's ironic because the Yankees traded for Williams last off-season and he went on to prove to be a total bust pitching to a career worst 4.79 ERA in  67 games. 

Williams was eventually replaced by David Bednar whom the Yankees acquired at the trade deadline via Pittsburgh. 

Would adding Williams to the Mets pen be a smart move? ONLY if Diaz returns. Williams pitched better over the course of the final stretch of the 2025 season when he was not closing games for the Yankees. His ERA in September was 3.72, and he had a spotless ERA in four innings in the playoffs. 

It is funny we have to say this about Williams, because in 2024, he was one of the games' most dominant closers with the Milwaukee Brewers until he ran into Pete Alonso and the Mets in the playoffs. The rest is history. 

If the Mets can keep Diaz and add Williams they would have a pretty formidable back-end, if Williams holds up his end of the deal and pitches like he did in September. 

If the Mets lose Diaz to another team, and sign Williams to be the replacement, they will have a nightmare on their hands. Not that Williams isn't capable, but it felt at times last year that the moment was too big for him in the Bronx.  

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jets, Dolphins and Patriots Playoff Breakdown

Here are the formuli that could get the Jets into and out of the playoff party this season: 1) If the Jets win against Seattle and Miami, they win the AFC East based on a better conference record (8-4) than the New England Patriots, even if New England wins out as well. 2) If the Patriots win out and the Dolphins win out and finish at 11-5, the Jets would be 10-6, or 9-7, and probably out of the playoffs. Both New England and Miami would make the playoffs, with the Dolphins as a divison winner and the Patriots as a wild card. The Patriots make the postseason if Baltimore loses one of its final two games. 3) If the Patriots win out and the Dolphins and Jets split, then the Patriots win the AFC East. The Jets will have to hope that they beat Miami to win that tie-breaker and, further, hope that they have a better conference record than the Baltimore Ravens in order to clinch the sixth seed. 4) If the Patriots and Ravens win out and the Dolphins and Jets split their final two games, then ...
8 comments
Read more

Francisco Lindor Remains Red Hot as Mets Top Phillies

 Francisco Lindor remains the hottest player in Queens right now.  The Mets shortstop blasted two more home runs, including a three-run blast in the bottom of the eighth inning, Monday night to help propel the Mets to a 5-4 win over Philadelphia.   Lindor who typically struggles in the month of April is putting together a heck of a month. Monday's two hit effort was the 10th game in the last 11 where Lindor has recorded a hit. In fact in the month of April alone this year, Lindor was hitting at .311 coming into Monday's action.  On the year, Lindor is batting .284 with five homers and 13 RBI.  Lindor's efforts proved to be prophetic, as the Phillies Alec Bohm crushed a three-run bomb off Edwin Diaz in the top of the ninth to cut the Mets lead to a single run. Fortunately for New York, Diaz was able to shut the door with strikeouts of Trea Turner and Bryce Harper.  New York (16-7) has now won five in a row.  
Post a Comment
Read more

Mets Keep Rolling into Phillies Series

 The New York Mets are feeling pretty good about things right now!  The Amazin's swept a four game series from the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, winning 7-4 Sunday afternoon. It was the first time since 1986 that the Amazin's had swept such a series from St. Louis. We all know what happened later that season.    Well, not to get too far ahead of ourselves, because the 2025 version now faces a very stiff challenge. The Mets will face their arch rivals the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday with only two games separating the two teams in the NL East.  The Mets took out Philly in the NLDS last October, so this figures to be a heck of showdown. The Mets begin a month long stretch against teams that are likely postseason contenders like the Phillies, D-Backs, Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, and Dodgers.  If the Mets (15-7) are this good, we will know for sure in a month.
Post a Comment
Read more