Losing out on Edwin Diaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers was tough for New York Mets fans to come to terms with, but fans did understand the appeal the Dodgers have. Who wouldn't want to join the team that plays in Southern California, trying for a World Series three-peat? Diaz's best shot of winning a ring will undoubtedly come in Los Angeles.
With that being said, though, it turns out that Diaz wasn't always fully set on joining the Dodgers, which makes his departure sting even more. The Mets, and mainly Steve Cohen, are also responsible for his departure, based on the latest from ESPN's Jorge Castillo.
Mets are fully responsible for Edwin Diaz's departure
A couple of factors reportedly went into Diaz betraying the Mets for the Dodgers. The first, I don't even blame the team for: Castillo says Diaz was upset by the Mets' signing of Devin Williams earlier this offseason.
"Díaz, though miffed by the Mets not alerting him before signing free agent reliever Devin Williams a few days before, still wanted to wait for an offer from his longtime team, sources told ESPN," Castillo wrote.
Would it have been nice for the Mets to have alerted Diaz that they were adding to the bullpen? Sure. However, why is it their responsibility to give him a heads-up? Diaz chose to opt out of his contract and enter free agency. Are the Mets supposed to tell free agents that they're making moves? Plus, it's not as if Williams signed with the understanding of being the closer. Williams made it abundantly clear that he'd welcome and even expected Diaz back, and was more than happy to be the eighth-inning man. The Williams signing would not have impacted Diaz's role and would only have made the Mets better.
While I can't blame the Mets for Diaz being upset about their communication or lack thereof, it contributed to his departure, and I can and will blame the Mets for the contract negotiations they had with Diaz.
"The offer came on Dec. 7: three years, $66 million with $21 million deferred over 10 years. Negotiations continued from there, and the Mets ultimately produced another offer, adding a $9 million signing bonus to match the Dodgers, with the $21 million deferred over 15 years. But Díaz, who turns 32 in March, wanted an annual average value of at least $20 million after deferrals were taken into account and less deferred money spread over a shorter period. The Mets, according to a source, refused to meet those terms. The Braves, though offering more years, also declined to meet the criteria."
Essentially, the Mets gave Diaz an offer with heavy deferrals and refused to adjust them the way Diaz wanted them to. Now, would Diaz have stayed with the Mets had they matched the Dodgers' structure? I have no idea.
What I do know, though, is that the richest owner in the sport, Steve Cohen, a man who made over $12 million selling a golden toilet a month ago and just got approval to build a casino outside of Citi Field, refused to lower or eliminate deferrals. That is brutal.
Edwin Diaz reality is a bad look for Steve Cohen
For the most part, Cohen has been everything Mets fans could've asked for as the owner. He's spent a ton of money on mostly mediocre to poor results, but has helped attract superstars like Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto to New York. Because of the job he's done, it's hard to get on him too much for this, but I cannot overstate how frustrating it is that the Mets refused to meet Diaz's demands.
It's not as if Diaz was asking them to add years to the contract. If he were, I would've understood passing, given his age (32) and the volatility inherent to the reliever position. But this was all about the money, and who has more of it than Cohen? In what world should the Mets be getting outbid here for a player of Diaz's caliber?
Losing Diaz to a ridiculous contract would've been understandable. Losing Diaz because he really wanted to be a Dodger over all else would've been understandable. Heck, I wouldn't blame the Mets if Diaz truly left because they didn't alert him to the Williams signing. None of these things happened, though. Diaz might've picked the Dodgers anyway, but New York lost him because they refused to alter their offer. That's not a David Stearns issue, as the years would've remained the same. That's a Cohen issue.
Steve Cohen has work to do to salvage Mets offseason
It's been a nightmarish last six months for Mets fans. It started with the team collapsing its way out of a playoff spot, and has continued into this offseason as three fan favorites, headlined by Diaz, have departed.
I, unlike many Mets fans, have been open-minded when thinking about how this offseason could go. Sure, losing Diaz, Brandon Nimmo and Pete Alonso hurts, but the team has already found a suitable Diaz replacement in Williams, will continue to add to their bullpen and will presumably add a big bat in their lineup to offset the loss of Alonso. Ultimately, it's mid-December, and there are so many good players still available in free agency and on the trade market.
But it's hard to feel as confident now. Sure, there's a lot the Mets can do, and the team going out and spending a ton of money will help ease concerns, but nickeling and diming to the extent that they did with Diaz, the best closer in the sport, doesn't exactly spark optimism that they'll be ready to do that.
Mets fans can only hope to be proven wrong.
More MLB offseason news and analysis: