The Mets are re-signing a star closer Edwin Diaz.
A league source tells SNY’s Andy Martino that the team and Diaz have agreed to a five-year, $102 million deal, which is the largest for a reliever in major league history. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale was first to report.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports the deal comes with a full no-trade clause and a sixth-year option.
New York had a strong interest in bringing Diaz back and Diaz had a strong interest in returning, so this deal getting done is far from a surprise.
Getting Diaz locked in brings an elite closer back to a bullpen that will likely be undergoing lots of changes this offseason, with most of the key relievers free agents.
Diaz, who will turn 29 in March, is coming off a season where he was the best and most dominant closer in baseball.
In 2022, Diaz had a 1.31 ERA (0.90 FIP) and 0.83 WHIP while striking out 118 batters in 62 innings — a ridiculous 17.1 per nine. He gave up just three home runs in 2022, with the last one he allowed coming on May 12.
Via Baseball Savant, Diaz was in the 100th percentile in 2022 when it came to xBA, strikeout rate, xSLG, xERA/xwOBA, and whiff rate. He was in the 99th percentile in fastball velocity, the 97th percentile in chase rate, the 96th percentile in average exit velocity, and the 93rd percentile in barrel percentage.
While many focus on Diaz’s remarkable 2022, he has been terrific since 2020.
In 150.1 innings over 150 appearances over the last three seasons, Diaz has a 2.27 ERA (1.78 FIP) and 0.99 WHIP while striking out 257 batters — an eye-popping 15.4 per 9. During the past three seasons, Diaz has allowed eight home runs runs total after giving up 15 in 2019 during his first season in New York.
Diaz was an All-Star in 2022 and will receive not only Cy Young votes but probably get some MVP votes for how he performed this season. Meanwhile, his entrance song, “Narco,” — featuring infectious trumpets — has become a cultural phenomenon in the city.