The New York Mets have added their closer in Devin Williams, but apparently there are still some issues to be ironed out. The Mets supposedly still have interesting bringing back closer Edwin Diaz, and Williams is reportedly willing to pitch as either the primary closer or the eighth-inning setup man, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic.
There’s one problem with all of this, however—none of it makes any sense.
Start with Williams. He wants to win a championship in New York, according to Sammon, but why would he be willing to do it as an occasional or full-time setup man, especially with a bullpen partner as flamboyant as Diaz?
That’s a setup for uncertainty and potential failure, especially given the reports about clubhouse chemistry issues between second baseman Jeff McNeil, shortstop Francisco Lindor and outfielder Juan Soto. It's great to win in New York, but trying to win there with a clubhouse that has issues is a recipe for yet another Mets disaster.
Now let’s take a closer look at the Mets. GM David Stearns has committed to financial sanity this season, but paying Williams $17 million to be a part-time setup man is basically the opposite of that. He'd likely be paying almost $40 million to fill the closer slot, and there's a good chance that niether Williams or Diaz would be happy.
It would be tough for Diaz to come back, too. He made it clear he wanted a five-year deal for big money, but he’d have to take three years from the Mets in any return to New York. If Williams had a half-dozen suitors after him, as was widely reported, Diaz will have more, and at least one will give him those five years.
The one guy who would do something like this is Mets owner Steve Cohen. He loves to spend on stars, and putting together a so-called “super bullpen” sounds like just the kind of thing he’d love.
It will be intriguing to see how all this settles out from here. The Diaz negotiations are the one to watch, especially given the rumors that the Toronto Blue Jays are willing to give him those five years for big money.
The Mets are suddenly active again, and they’re making roster-defining moves. Trading for Marcus Semien was a move toward character and defense, but we still don’t know what this particular move is about. We’ll find out more in the next week or so, but right now it all just looks like a muddle.