Following an incredible season where Edwin Diaz was one of the best pitchers in baseball, Mets general manager Billy Eppler made it clear he wants to see the star closer return to New York.
“Would we like to have him back? Absolutely,” Eppler told Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on “The Show.” “Are we going to be able to get something worked out? Potentially.”
Diaz, 28, will be a first-time free agent after he posted a 1.31 ERA with 32 saves and 118 strikeouts in 62 innings.
That performance alone has set up the hard-throwing right-hander for a big payday, as well as potential interest from multiple suitors.
“He’s reached a point in his career where he’s afforded himself the opportunity with the ability to look around if he so chooses,” Eppler said. “But he knows how we feel about him, and we know how he feels about us and how comfortable he was this year.
“He expressed that, and I’m not sure if he expressed that specifically to (manager Buck Showalter), but I passed it along.”
Diaz has had an up-and-down Mets tenure since they acquired him as part of a blockbuster deal for Robinson Cano before the 2019 season. He recorded ERAs of 1.75 or lower with a 17.1 K/9 or higher in 2020 and 2022, but he struggled in 2019 and was inconsistent in 2021.
Diaz’s stats with Mets
| SEASON | IP | ERA | FIP | K/9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 58 | 5.59 | 4.51 | 15.4 |
| 2020 | 25.2 | 1.75 | 2.18 | 17.5 |
| 2021 | 62.2 | 3.45 | 2.48 | 12.8 |
| 2022 | 62 | 1.31 | 0.90 | 17.1 |
