PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Mets owner Steve Cohen still isn’t quite sure why Edwin Díaz defected to the Dodgers. Díaz is doing his best to provide answers.
A day after Cohen called Díaz’s decision to sign with the Dodgers “perplexing,” the former Mets closer explained his decision thusly:
“I was a free agent, so I got the chance to talk with everyone,” Díaz said Saturday from Dodgers camp in Glendale, Ariz. “And I think the Dodgers did a great job recruiting me. At the end of the day, I chose to be here.
“I have a lot of respect for the Mets organization, players, staff, ownership. They treated me really good. I don’t have anything bad to say about them. But at the end of the day, I’m here. This is a new journey for me and I’m happy to be with the Dodgers, so let’s see how it goes.”
A day earlier, the Mets published an interview between team broadcaster Howie Rose and Cohen, who said of the Díaz decision: “I did find that one perplexing. Not sure exactly how Edwin arrived at that decision. Obviously, it’s a personal decision on his part, and I thought we made a pretty respectable bid.”
A source said the Mets offered Díaz a three-year, $66 million contract and indicated they would be willing to increase that bid. Díaz ultimately signed with Los Angeles on a three-year, $69 million deal, which he did not give the Mets a chance to counter. Another source said Díaz’s camp didn’t expect the Mets to increase their offer in a meaningful way.
Díaz’s signing came only after the Mets locked up decorated closer Devin Williams on a three-year, $51 million contract. At the time of Williams’ deal, Mets officials believed he could serve either as a closer or a setup man to Díaz. Williams, for his part, said he would be fine with either role.
Díaz was the Mets’ closer from 2019-25, saving 144 games with a 2.93 ERA for the franchise and becoming a fan favorite along the way, in large part because of his up-tempo entrance music. Now, Williams will pitch the ninth inning in Queens, with Díaz closing out games for the Dodgers.
