A nightmare 2025 season has given way to a nightmare start to the 2025 offseason for fans of the New York Mets, who had to watch star closer Edwin Diaz leave town on a three-year, $69 million deal — to the hated Los Angeles Dodgers, no less. The bullpen was already an Achilles heel for this team; how could they possibly hope to compete next year without their one reliable late-game option? And how could anyone possibly hope to compete with the Dodgers as they keep on stacking historic contracts with no end in sight?
We're not here to answer that second question today. But to Mets fans who are wallowing in doom and gloom right now, we are here to offer some optimism. Yes, Diaz was great last season, and has largely been great throughout his career. But paying him $23 million a year is expecting him to be the best reliever in baseball, and it was just two years ago that he was pitching to a 3.52 ERA.
Relievers are hard to count on, is the point; the margin for error is small, and things can go sideways at a moment's notice. So instead of throwing an entire bag at just one guy, why not take as many bites at the apple as possible? Even after signing Devin Williams earlier this winter, the Mets need to add not just one or two but several bullpen options. The good news is that a ton of them are still out there, and the path to a postseason-caliber unit is clear.
A four-step plan to build a great Mets bullpen without Edwin Diaz
Step one: Trade for RHP Trevor Megill
Again, there's every reason to feel good about Williams as your closer in 2026; he's pretty much the same guy who was just about the best reliever in the sport over a four-year period, and his stuff remains as lethal as ever. But he still needs a running mate, someone who can make sure that the ball reaches his hand with a lead at the end of games — so why not turn to a former teammate in Milwaukee?
We know the Mets are already interested in trying to acquire Megill, who made his first All-Star team this past season and is under team control through 2027. He's pitched to a 2.60 ERA with elite chase, whiff and K rates over the last two years, and he'd immediately slot in as one of the best setup men in the game with the ability to close when necessary.
Step two: Sign RHP Luke Weaver
I promise the goal here isn't just to poach as many former Yankees as possible, but hey, that's an added bonus. Intracity rivalry aside, though, Weaver checks a ton of boxes for the Mets, and his flexibility is exactly what Stearns should be looking for after locking down the eighth and ninth innings.
Put simply, Weaver has shown he can enter the game at any time and in just about any role. He pitched multiple innings repeatedly during his time in the Bronx, and his excellent changeup means that he's equally effective against both righties and lefties. He's overstretched as a team's best reliever, but if you put two top-tier options behind him, he can really shine.
Step three: Sign RHP Hunter Harvey
Word was that the Mets very nearly swung a trade for Harvey last offseason, so we know that the interest is there. And why wouldn't it be? Injuries limited Harvey to just 10.2 innings in 2025, but he should be healthy and ready to go come next spring. And quietly, the former top starter prospect has blossomed into one of the better relievers in the game in recent years, pitching to a 3.07 ERA and 2.94 FIP with a 9.9 K/9 since the start of 2022.
That'll play, and he'll only turn 31 in December. Harvey doesn't have the longest track record, but the profile is absolutely worth betting on at what should be a reduced price. He's got back-end stuff, and using him in the sixth or seventh inning would provide some cushion in case he takes a little while to get back to his best self.
Step four: Sign LHP Danny Coulombe
The final piece of this puzzle? A lefty specialist. Coulombe's numbers against left-handed hitters last season were downright comical, a .225/.273/.254 slash line with just two extra-base hits allowed. Plus, he just turned 36, so the odds that it would take multiple years to sign him appear slim.
It might not be the bullpen that Mets fans envisioned a few weeks ago, and there's every chance that Diaz is securing the final out of a World Series threepeat in 10 months' time. But relievers are notoriously fickle, and there are plenty of intriguing candidates still out there for New York to snatch up. With Williams, Megill, Weaver, Harvey and Coulombe in tow, plus some internal candidates behind them, the Mets can still field a bullpen that will give them every chance come October.