Before free agency began and all 30 teams could have taken a run at Edwin Diaz, the Mets agreed to bring back their closer on a five-year, $102 million deal.
The deal includes a $12 million signing bonus, a sixth-year option and an opt-out after three years, plus a full no-trade clause through the opt-out year.
The contract is a record for a reliever, surpassing the five-year, $86 million deal Aroldis Chapman signed with the Yankees in 2016. The average annual value of $20.4 million also exceeds Liam Hendriks’ reliever record of $18 million, set in his 2021 deal with the White Sox.
Diaz is coming off arguably the most dominant season of any reliever, in which he recorded a 1.31 ERA and 118 strikeouts across 62 innings. He had 32 saves in 35 chances, with no blown saves over the final four months of the season. In the process, he also became a fan favorite with his popular entrance music, “Narco,” which led to a live performance from Timmy Trumpet at Citi Field for one of Diaz’s appearances in August.
The Guy Report 