The Mets owner was perplexed as Edwin Diaz chose the Dodgers, despite a nearly identical offer. Was it truly about money, or something more?
The New York Mets entered the offseason with All-Star closer Edwin Diaz and longtime slugger Pete Alonso as free agents.
And, in a matter of a few days, both Diaz and Alonso left Queens for other teams.
Alonso signed a five-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles, and Diaz went to the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers with a three-year, $69 million deal.
Recently, Mets owner Steve Cohen admitted he was "perplexed" that Diaz left for LA, especially since Cohen says Diaz had a good offer on the table.
“I did find that one perplexing. (I’m) not sure exactly how Edwin arrived at that decision,” Cohen said. “Obviously it’s a personal decision on his part, and I thought we made a pretty respectable bid.”
Bradford Doolittle of ESPN had one question for every MLB team, and for the Mets, it was also about Diaz's departure:
Why the heck didn't the Mets get Edwin Diaz?
Simply put, it was because the Dodgers' offer was better.
Diaz said he has a lot of respect for the organization and talked to a number of teams before choosing LA. And, one source reported that the Mets' offer was three years for $66 million, just $3 million less than what LA offered. The source also said that the Mets were willing to increase the bid, so it wasn't as if Cohen and New York sat around and let Diaz leave.
The Mets softened the blow a little bit, at least, by signing former New York Yankees reliever Devin Williams, although he had a rough 2025 campaign in the Bronx after dominating during his time with the Milwaukee Brewers.
So, as far as the Diaz departure goes, it might not have been really about the money. If the reports are true, the Mets offer was almost identical to the Dodgers offer, and it could've been even more money coming from Queens.
But, then again, having the opportunity to play for the two-time World Series champions, who are likely the run-away favorites once again, was a hard thing for Diaz (or anybody, really) to pass up.
That was even before Kyle Tucker signed with LA, so the rich only got richer.
The Mets did add a flurry of big-mane stars in free agency, including Bo Bichette, and they acquired star pitcher Freddy Peralta via trade, so the offseason actually went well for New York.
But, seeing Diaz leave for LA is a tough blow and will be difficult to watch, especially when these teams face each other.