This offseason, the New York Mets face several tall tasks, including a complete overhaul of the pitching staff that failed them down the stretch in 2025. This won’t be easy, as the market is top-heavy in both the starting pitching and reliever pools. The team has already expressed interest in several frontline starters via trade and is scouring the market for every available starter, but the bullpen is where it gets trickier.
As much as it goes against David Stearns’ philosophy to trade assets for a starting pitcher, he will be even more hesitant to do so for a reliever. Luckily, there are several solid options available across the board for the Mets to pursue — but it starts with re-signing Edwin Diaz.
According to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon, Diaz is seeking a deal similar to the five-year, $102 million contract he signed with the Mets at the end of the 2022 season, and the Mets should not hesitate to give him what he wants. Along with Diaz, the Mets should add one of the following free-agent relievers.
1) Tyler Rogers
The Mets should absolutely prioritize bringing Rogers back to Queens, behind Diaz and Alonso. Rogers has been the most consistent reliever since he debuted in August 2019, leading all relievers in games and innings pitched, and holds a career ERA of 2.76.
Rogers is one of the lowest-velocity pitchers in MLB and has one of the lowest strikeout rates, but he makes up for it by consistently inducing soft contact and ground balls while barely walking anyone. His low-velo style allows him to appear in more games than the average reliever, since he isn’t taking as much of a toll on his arm by throwing high-90s or triple-digit fastballs.
The only issue with re-signing Rogers lies in the price. Spotrac predicts he will be making around $11 million AAV, almost $6 million more than his previous $5.25 million contract. If we know anything about Stearns’ philosophy, we know he won’t be willing to give anything near that amount to a reliever not named Edwin Diaz. As much as we’d like to see Rogers return, the cards ultimately fall on Stearns to make the call, and unfortunately, something says he won’t be willing to budge.
