Mets make a decision on Edwin Díaz qualifying offer

This news comes after it was announced this week that Díaz was opting out of the remaining two years and $38 million left on his contract that he signed with New York in November 2022. The hard-throwing righty will now hit the open market this offseason with the expectation of signing the largest reliever contract in MLB history.

Díaz has been with the Mets since the 2019 season after coming over from the Seattle Mariners in a blockbuster trade in December 2018. Despite registering a 5.59 ERA during his first season in Flushing, he has since established himself as one of the most dominant closers in all of baseball.

The 31-year-old's best two seasons with the Mets came in 2022 and 2025, earning All-Star selections in both seasons. In 61 appearances during the 2022 campaign, Díaz converted 32 of 35 save chances, logging a career-best 1.31 ERA and 118 strikeouts across 62 innings pitched.

Despite missing all of 2023 after tearing his patellar tendon during the World Baseball Classic and turning in a shaky 2024 season, Díaz was able to bounce back this past season. In 62 games, the righty converted 28 of 31 save opportunities with a 1.63 ERA, 98 punchouts and a 0.87 WHIP across 66.1 innings of work. He was also named National League Reliever of the Month for May this past season after recording five saves across 11.1 scoreless innings.

Díaz and all players across baseball have until November 18 to decide whether or not to accept that qualifying offer, which he is expected to reject. If Díaz does end up leaving, the Mets would receive draft compensation.

Díaz, however, reiterated after the Mets' season came to an end on September 28 that he would love to come back next season and beyond. Since joining the Mets, Díaz has posted a 2.93 ERA with 144 saves; the latter are the third most in franchise history behind Armando Benitez (160) and former team captain John Franco, who holds the ballclub's all-time lead in saves with 276.