Ranking Top 10 Landing Spots for Mets' Edwin Díaz in MLB Free Agency

Edwin Díaz is about to get paid.

The right-hander has always had electric stuff dating back to his time with the Seattle Mariners, and that stuff was on full display in 2022 when he struck out 118 of the 235 batters he faced out of the New York Mets bullpen.

The 28-year-old finished with 32 saves to go with an impressive 1.31 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 17.1 K/9 in 61 appearances, and he's likely to command a record-setting payday for a relief pitcher this winter.

Every team would benefit from adding him, but only a handful of teams are willing and able to pony up the kind of money it will cost to sign him.

Ahead are his 10 most likely landing spots, based on spending power, roster need and ability to contend in 2023 and beyond. Let's start with a closer look at his potential asking price.

The largest contract ever for a relief pitcher was the five-year, $86 million deal that Aroldis Chapman signed to rejoin the New York Yankees after his 2016 World Series run with the Chicago Cubs.

The highest annual value ever given to a reliever was the three-year, $54 million contract ($18 million AAV) that Liam Hendriks signed with the Chicago White Sox prior to the 2021 season.

Expect Díaz to break both of those marks.

Here's a look at how each of those pitchers performed in their contract year:

Díaz (2022): 61 G, 32/35 SV, 1.31 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9, 17.1 K/9
Chapman (2016): 59 G, 36/39 SV, 1.55 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 2.8 BB/9, 14.0 K/9
Hendriks (2020): 24 G, 14/15 SV, 1.78 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 1.1 BB/9, 13.1 K/9

Looking beyond the numbers, Díaz is the same age that Chapman was when he signed his record-setting deal, so five years is a logical expectation on length.

With all of that in mind, a five-year, $100 million deal seems like a reasonable ask for arguably the most dominant reliever in baseball in his prime.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have a lot of promising young pieces both in the starting lineup and in the rotation, but the bullpen needs work.

Veterans Mark Melancon (62 G, 18 SV, 4.66 ERA) and Ian Kennedy (57 G, 10 SV, 5.36 ERA) handled ninth-inning duties this past season, and while Melancon is set to return for the second season of a two-year, $14 million deal, relying on him to anchor the bullpen might be asking too much.

All told, the D-backs bullpen finished 25th in the majors with a 4.58 ERA while converting just 33 of 60 save chances, so there's ample room for improvement.

The Arizona front office has shown a willingness to spend big in the past, giving out megadeals to Zack Greinke and Madison Bumgarner to bolster the rotation, so they can't be ruled out as dark horses in pursuit of a massive bullpen upgrade.

The Philadelphia Phillies signed Corey Knebel (1/$10M) and Brad Hand (1/$6M) in an effort to bolster their late-inning situation during the offseason, and they swung a deal to acquire David Robertson from the Chicago Cubs at the deadline.

All three of those players are slated to depart in free agency, and while the Phillies still have a solid one-two punch in José Alvarado (59 G, 22 HLD, 3.18 ERA, 14.3 K/9) and Seranthony Domínguez (54 G, 15 HLD, 3.00 ERA, 10.8 K/9), they'll need to add once again this winter.

The potential to steal Díaz from a division rival is intriguing, but with Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber all signed for $20 million or more annually for at least the next two years, they may be hesitant to add another massive long-term deal to the books.

The Toronto Blue Jays already have an All-Star closer in Jordan Romano, but improving the bullpen could be a focal point this winter after they finished 13th in the majors with a 3.77 bullpen ERA and nailed down 46 of 73 save opportunities.

Deadline pickups Anthony Bass (28 G, 1.75 ERA) and Zach Pop (17 G, 1.89 ERA) helped add depth and both are controllable next season, but Toronto could build a stacked relief corps by making a run at Díaz.

The expectation is that the Blue Jays will prioritize adding a starting pitcher behind Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman and José Berríos, but if they whiff on landing an impact starter, they could pivot to bolstering the bullpen instead.

The Chicago Cubs are expected to be major players on the free-agent market this offseason, with the high-end shortstop class and Aaron Judge all among their hypothetical targets.

However, shoring up the bullpen could also be a top priority after David Robertson, Scott Effross and Mychal Givens were all traded at the deadline.

Rowan Wick, Brandon Hughes and Manuel Rodríguez are the leading in-house candidates for the ninth-inning job, and they could also give Adbert Alzolay a look in a late-inning role, but finding a proven option for the closer's role would greatly improve the pitching staff's overall outlook.

The Los Angeles Angels traded closer Raisel Iglesias at the deadline and turned over ninth-inning duties to Jimmy Herget for the final two months.

The 29-year-old nailed down eight of 10 save chances with a 1.10 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and a .165 opponents' batting average over 24 appearances in August and September, and he is controllable through the 2026 season.

The trio of Herget, Aaron Loup and Ryan Tepera gives the Angels a solid base to build the relief corps around, but they have a combined 34 career saves, and a high-end closer such as Díaz would really help bolster a young pitching staff on the rise.

A quick look at Boston Red Sox's save leaders shows just what a revolving door the ninth inning was in 2022:

Tanner Houck: 8/9 SV
Matt Barnes: 8/10 SV
John Schreiber: 8/11 SV
Garrett Whitlock: 6/8 SV
Matt Strahm: 4/9 SV
Hansel Robles: 2/8 SV

There is no question the Red Sox need bullpen help, but it's unclear just how aggressively they will look to add this offseason.

If Xander Bogaerts opts out and signs elsewhere and they don't make any progress in extension talks with Rafael Devers, they could pivot to rebuilding and abandon any high-end free agency targets.

If you're looking for a dark horse to sign Díaz, look no further than a Texas Rangers team that spent $556 million last offseason to sign Corey Seager, Marcus Semien and Jon Gray.

The Texas bullpen converted just 37 of 67 save chances, with Joe Barlow (35 G, 13/17 SV, 3.86 ERA, 7.2 K/9) serving as the de facto closer until José Leclerc (39 G, 7/9 SV, 2.83 ERA, 10.2 K/9) returned at midseason from Tommy John surgery.

Both pitchers could return if Leclerc has his $6 million club option exercised, and left-hander Brock Burke has also emerged as a terrific relief weapon, but the bullpen is still lacking a shutdown closer.

The starting rotation will be the No. 1 priority in free agency, but there's a strong case to be made that the Rangers also need a proven closer as much as any team.

From a financial standpoint, the New York Yankees can easily justify investing heavily in a reliever this offseason with Aroldis Chapman ($18 million) and Zack Britton ($14 million) both coming off the books.

After the team's relief corps logged four losses and a blown save during the postseason, it's also reasonable to call the bullpen one of the club's biggest weaknesses, especially with deadline pickup Scott Effross (Tommy John surgery) and Michael King (fractured elbow) sidelined with injuries.

There are some solid pieces returning, including Clay Holmes, Jonathan Loáisiga, Wandy Peralta and Ron Marinaccio, but there's no reason to think the Yankees won't be in the market for a bullpen splash.

Even at $20 million annually, the Yankees can add Díaz and still come out on top financially compared to what they were paying Chapman and Britton in 2022.

How badly do the Los Angeles Dodgers need a closer?

They had 12 different players record at least one save in 2022, and save leader Craig Kimbrel (22/27 SV) was left off the postseason roster after struggling with inconsistency all year.

Healthy seasons from Blake Treinen and Daniel Hudson would go a long way in stabilizing the late innings, but both pitchers have spent more time pitching in a setup role during their careers, so relying on either of them to be the guy might not be in the club's best interest.

The five-year, $80 million deal the Dodgers gave Kenley Jansen prior to the 2017 season made it clear they're willing to pay a premium for a lockdown ninth-inning option, and Díaz could be just that.

How much is New York Mets owner Steve Cohen willing to spend to keep his top guys?

We're about to find out.

"The Mets are prioritizing Díaz and Brandon Nimmo above all other internal free agents and expect to maintain open and consistent communication with Díaz once free agency begins the morning after the conclusion of the World Series," wrote SNY MLB insider Andy Martino on Wednesday.

Not only do the Mets stand to lose their closer, but top setup relievers Adam Ottavino and Seth Lugo are also free agents, adding to the sense of urgency to provide stability in the late innings.

The fact that the Mets have made it clear they are prioritizing him, their glaring need at the back of the bullpen and the value of familiarity all add up to the Mets being the favorites to keep Díaz for the foreseeable future.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.