While the Mets remain engaged with Edwin Diaz about a new contract, the club is keeping its bases covered by also checking in with other major free agent closers. Reports from earlier this week cited the Mets as one of the many teams involved in Devin Williams’ market, and The Athletic’s Will Sammon reports that New York has been in touch “multiple times recently” with the reps for both Williams and Robert Suarez.
This makes the Mets the first club publicly linked to Suarez this winter, though it is probably safe to assume that most or all of the clubs in on Williams are similarly exploring Suarez’s asking price. MLB Trade Rumors ranked Williams 16th on our list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents and projected him for a four-year, $68MM contract, while Suarez ranked 21st and got a three-year, $48MM projection. (Diaz was the top closer in our list, ranked 13th with a projection of four years and $82MM.)
Diaz and Williams are both entering their age-32 seasons, whereas Suarez is turning 35 in March. The age gap will alone put some limitations on Suarez’s market, even if teams should still be open to giving him a high average annual salary within a shorter-term contract. Raisel Iglesias (who turns 36 in January) took a one-year, $16MM deal to return to the Braves, though Iglesias’ fairly quick departure from the market could indicate that he simply preferred to return to Atlanta over more fully waiting around to see if he could land at least one more guaranteed year.
Indeed, Suarez’s age might even be something of a selling point in regards to how teams are approaching the bullpen market. Diaz is reportedly looking for a contract akin to his previous five-year, $102MM deal with New York, and while the Amazins have interest in bringing Diaz back, Sammon writes that the team would prefer a shorter-term pact. If Suarez’s age might naturally leave him looking at something like a three-year contract as a ceiling, that might work out just fine for the Mets or other teams who are wary about lengthy commitments to relief pitchers.
Suarez felt comfortable enough about his chances in free agency that he chose to opt out of the final two years (and $16MM) on his contract with the Padres. There’s certainly no indication that Suarez is slowing down, either in the figurative or literal sense. Suarez’s 98.6mph fastball is still among the highest velocities in the game, and he posted a 2.97 ERA, 27.9% strikeout rate, and a 5.9% walk rate over 69 2/3 innings in 2025. Over his two seasons as San Diego’s closer, Suarez has closed out 76 of 87 chances and twice been named to the NL All-Star team. He has also carried his strong performance into October, with a 2.45 ERA over 14 2/3 career postseason innings.
Not to mention the deal Diaz opted out of had deferred money. I read it was worth less than the Josh Hader deal in present value.