Why not signing Edwin Diaz will be Mets’ biggest offseason regret

The New York Mets had a transformative offseason after a disastrous 2025 season. Bo Bichette, Freddy Peralta, Marcus Semien, Luis Robert Jr, and multiple bullpen pieces are in the door. They have put a completely new supporting cast around Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor, which they needed to do. But the Mets will regret letting Edwin Diaz leave for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Diaz signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the Dodgers during the Winter Meetings. He opted out of the final two years of his deal with the Mets, signing up for an extra year and more money with the defending champions. The Mets had a lot of problems in the 2025 season, but Diaz was not one of them. And the pieces they got to replace him do not have the same track record.

Diaz was an All-Star in 2025, posting a 1.63 ERA in 62 appearances with 28 saves. The Dodgers signed Tanner Scott before the 2025 season, which did not work out as well. The former Miami Marlin had a 4.74 ERA for LA last season and did not make a playoff appearance.

Before even losing Diaz, the Mets signed Devin Williams to a three-year contract. Williams was one of the best closers in the game during his run with the Milwaukee Brewers, which the New York Yankees noticed. They traded for him last year, hoping to stabilize the closer position. Williams lost the closer role and never got it back early in the season.

The Mets also acquired Luke Weaver from the Yankees to bolster the bullpen. Last year, their bullpen was a massive problem, which is why Ryan Helsley left for the Baltimore Orioles. But Diaz was not part of the problem, and his departure made the Dodgers better.

The Mets need to make the playoffs after the 2025 collapse. Losing Diaz did not get them closer to that goal.

A lot of the Mets’ moves should work out

The first move the Mets made this offseason was trading Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien. Despite Nimmo’s standing as a fan favorite and the similar contracts, they needed to improve their defense. With Soto and Lindor already in the lineup, they prioritized Semien’s defense over Nimmo’s bat. This was David Stern’s riskiest move, but it could work out.

The Mets also let Pete Alonso walk to the Orioles on a five-year contract. This one hurt the fanbase, as Alonso just clipped Darryl Strawberry to become the franchise’s all-time home run leader. While fans loved Alonso, and he will be missed, they needed to change something after the 2025 collapse. Again, Alonso was not at fault. But the Mets could not accept the same fate as last year.

The Mets properly replaced Alonso’s offensive output by signing Bo Bichette to play third base. While Bichette does not have the home run power, his incredible contact ability will help get Soto across home plate more often. When Robert is healthy, he can slug 30 homers easily, but that is a huge if.

The Mets will have sky-high expectations in 2026. They made the NLCS in 2024 and got off to a hot start in 2025. But they went 21-32 from August 1 onward last year, which was not good enough to make the playoffs. They tied the Cincinnati Reds for the final NL Wild Card spot, losing the tiebreaker.

The Mets are one of the few teams that can beat the Dodgers in the playoffs. They are second in payroll, right behind LA, and brought them to six games in 2024. With improved pitching and a new-look lineup, they have a chance to get there again. But at the end of games, the Mets will miss Diaz while he closes out games for the Dodgers.

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