METS RE-SIGN ALL-STAR RHP EDWIN DÍAZ TO FIVE-YEAR DEAL

 

METS RE-SIGN ALL-STAR RHP EDWIN DÍAZ TO FIVE-YEAR DEAL

 

FLUSHING, N.Y., November 9, 2022 – The New York Mets announced today that the club has re-signed right-handed pitcher Edwin Díaz to a five-year contract. The deal, which includes a player opt-out clause after the 2025 season, runs through the 2027 season with a club option for the 2028 season.

 

“Edwin has every attribute we look for in a closer,” Mets General Manager Billy Eppler said. “He's a tremendous competitor, has a burning desire to be the best and possesses the stuff to compete with any hitter in the league. We are thrilled he’ll be anchoring our bullpen moving forward.”

 

Díaz, 28, put up a 1.31 ERA (9 ER/62.0 IP) with 32 saves and 118 strikeouts across 61 appearances in 2022, earning his second career All-Star nod. He led all major league relievers in strikeouts and strikeout rate (50.2 percent) while placing eighth in the majors in saves. He became just the third pitcher in major league history to face at least 200 batters and maintain a strikeout rate above 50 percent, joining Aroldis Chapman (52.5 percent in 2014) and Craig Kimbrel (50.2 percent in 2012). He reached the 100-strikeout mark in 52.1 innings, a mark topped only by Chapman in 2014 (51.0 IP). 

 

The Humacao, Puerto Rico native racked up three consecutive National League Reliever of the Month Awards from June-August in 2022. He has won his league’s Reliever of the Month Award a record eight times since the honor was established in 2017. Díaz was also named the 2018 Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year.

 

Since 2020, he is 10-8 with 70 saves, a 2.27 ERA (38 ER/150.1 IP) and 257 strikeouts. Over the last three seasons, he leads all relievers in fWAR (5.9), FIP (1.78), K% (42.7 percent) and whiff rate (20.6 percent).

 

He ranks sixth on the Mets all-time saves leaderboard and seventh in Mets history with 356 strikeouts as a reliever. He owns the highest strikeout rate (41.6 percent) in team history and ranks in the top five among all Mets relievers in FIP (2.54, second), opponent average (.201, second), WHIP (1.10, fourth) and fWAR (5.9, fifth).

 

Díaz has spent the last four seasons with New York after coming over in a December 2018 trade with Seattle. In 216 games with the Mets, he is 12-15 with 96 saves and a 3.20 ERA (74 ER/208.1 IP). In 404 career games with New York and Seattle, he is 16-29 with 205 saves and a 2.93 ERA (130 ER/399.1 IP).