Devin Williams as the new Mets closer? Naw! The Amazins can’t afford to lose Edwin Diaz.
After the Mets signed Devin Williams to a three-year, $51 million contract on Monday night, there was speculation that he could be the new Mets closer. That’s not necessarily the case. The Mets likely signed the former Yankee closer as the setup guy.
It has to be. It’s hard to believe Mets owner Steve Cohen is going to let Edwin Diaz leave as a free agent after watching what his closer meant to the team and the city.
Maybe Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns thinks Williams can replace Diaz. After all, Stearns always believes anyone is replaceable as a guy who stresses analytics. But Cohen shouldn’t think that. It would be inexcusable if Diaz moves on. It would not be brilliant to play a negotiating game with him.
For anyone who says the Mets have a negotiating advantage by signing Williams, that’s ridiculous. Diaz is a better closer than the newly signed reliever.
The free-agent Mets closer proved he can get the much-needed saves in the postseason. He has shown he can close in New York, which is hard to do, as Williams can attest from his forgettable stint with the Yankees. He feeds off the energy from the fans at home games. Most importantly, he has been the best closer the team has had since Randy Myers.
Graphic courtesy YouTube
Guys like that are irreplaceable. Analytical spreadsheets be damned.
There’s a reason Diaz is in the market. He knows he is going to get what he thinks he’s worth, being the exceptional closer he is.
Think the Toronto Blue Jays could use him? He would be an upgrade over Jeff Hoffman, who blew a Game 7 save that resulted in the hated Los Angeles Dodgers winning a World Series. The Jays would be happy to pay what he wants since he is a proven closer who can get it done.
How about the Dodgers? They can get whoever they want. They can sign him for the hell of it. Money is clearly no object for them. Now that Williams has left the Yankees, Diaz could fill the void for their closer role.
The Mets know what they have in him. They shouldn’t be cute when it comes to handling negotiations with him.
The idea that Williams can replace Diaz is a fallacy. Yes, he can be a solid closer, but he can’t do what the Mets’ closer has done in the last few years.
Diaz is a fan favorite, and it may be too much for Williams to be the guy who replaces him if he is gone. The fans will let him know it every time he blows a save. Shoot, if he is the closer, there could be negative energy at Citi Field, which would be an advantage to the visitors.
Williams does not have any cred with Mets fans after he was the guy who blew a playoff save by allowing a three-run home run to Pete Alonso, which gave the Mets a 3-2 lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the ninth of a decisive game of the wild-card series. The Mets would eventually win the game and the series.
He was way too inconsistent as the Yankees’ closer. He would blow saves for the Yankees, so no doubt’s going to be on the Mets fans’ minds. Williams would be fine as a setup guy. He can even spell Diaz when the Mets’ closer is not available.
Photo courtesy The New York Times
For the Mets to get to where they want to go, such as getting to the World Series and winning it, Diaz would make their job easy. Put it this way. Teams fear Diaz a lot more than they fear Williams. That’s all you need to know about why the Mets need to bring him back.
If Diaz moves on, Cohen is going to hear it. There will be critics waiting to get on him for being cheap. And yes, Stearns would be savaged, too, for not valuing what the Mets closer brought to the team.
Diaz’s leaving would take a hit in the clubhouse. He is well-respected based on his work as a Mets closer. There likely would be disgruntled players questioning how appreciated they are if he weren’t appreciated by ownership and management. The Mets can’t afford to have bad vibes permeating in the clubhouse after an underachieving season.
Losing Brandon Nimmo is already tough to deal with after being traded to the Texas Rangers last week. He was a consummate professional who knew how to play in New York. It’s going to be hard to replace the numbers and intangibles he brought to the team. He was the only guy who stepped up in September.
Imagine losing Diaz and having Williams replace him. It could cause anger with the fanbase.
