Mets are 'aggressively' pursuing potential Edwin Diaz replacement

While the Mets do have some coverage in the back of the bullpen with the addition of Devin Williams, who Stearns indicated is the team's closer right now in interviews, they need at least one more high quality arm since it appears the team's initial plan was to have Williams set up for Diaz. It appears the loss of Diaz has moved the Mets towards an "aggressive" pursuit of Robert Suarez, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reports.

Suarez, who will turn 35 next season, has been regarded as the best closer on the market not named Diaz after leading the National League with 40 saves in 2025. Pairing Williams with Suarez, who struck out 75 batters in 69.2 innings pitched, would give the Mets the best possible alternative to Diaz on the board.

Feinsand also has the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays in the mix for Suarez, who could land a two or three-year deal after Diaz set the closer market with his new contract. That type of valuation could appeal to Stearns, who has shown a hesitance to offer contracts beyond three years throughout his tenure as the Mets' president of baseball operations.

Robert Suarez is the best bullpen pivot for the Mets

Losing Diaz has led to a lot of frustration from Mets' fans towards Stearns, who already upset a significant portion of the orange and blue faithful by trading long-time Met Brandon Nimmo last month for Marcus Semien. With Pete Alonso still in free agency and Jeff McNeil on the trade block, there is a potential for a dramatic alteration of the core group that has been in place since Cohen bought the team in 2020.

Stearns portrayed confidence in his ability to put together a competitive team at the Winter Meetings yesterday, but the fanbase may become restless if they leave Orlando without some type of marquee addition. The relief market should start to move now that Diaz is off the board and Suarez, while older than Diaz now, could be a good short-term fix to pair with Williams to give the Mets a lethal back end of the bullpen.

There are other relievers on the market who could help the Mets, including Pete Fairbanks or a trade for Trevor Megill, but Suarez is the only one who could comfortably push Williams back into the eighth inning. A Suarez addition could also allow Carlos Mendoza to be more aggressive with his matchup usage in the bullpen since he would have two relievers capable of closing games.

The comparisons to Diaz will be inevitable for whoever the Mets sign, but Suarez does offer them the chance for the least drop off compared to what they had. Failing to walk away from the offseason with Suarez could leave the Mets in a more precarious position to close games, which could have a ripple effect on the rest of the team's roster construction plans since a stronger bullpen would make adding more ballast to the top of the rotation less of a pressing issue.

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