The same team that ripped out the NY Mets fans' hearts before can do it again

They’ve haunted New York Mets fans before, and they might be ready to do it again. The Texas Rangers, baseball’s version of the heartbreak hotel, could soon check in on Edwin Díaz — the trumpet-blaring soul of the Mets’ bullpen and one of the few sure things at Citi Field. Losing him would sting. Losing him to them would be a familiar, gut-twisting déjà vu.

The Rangers don’t need to be linked to Díaz for the idea to send a chill through Queens. They already swiped Jacob deGrom, leaving fans with a scar that still aches on cold nights. Now, the thought of them luring away Díaz —the sound, the swagger, the connection —feels like another bad dream waiting to happen. Sometimes, the fear alone is enough to make a fan flinch.

An Edwin Díaz opt-out could let Texas break the Mets’ hearts all over again

When Jacob deGrom packed his bags for Texas and a five-year, $185 million deal, Mets fans didn’t just lose an ace — they lost an identity. It didn’t matter that deGrom’s stay in Arlington has mostly been spent on the injured list. The wound wasn’t statistical; it was spiritual. The Rangers got their man, the Mets got memories, and Queens got quiet.

Now the scenario could repeat itself, only this time with trumpets blaring in the background. Edwin Díaz, the fire-breathing closer who rebuilt the bridge between the mound and the fans, holds a potential opt-out that could turn the offseason into another emotional rollercoaster. If he hits the market, Texas, which finished 81-81 and six games back of the Wild Card, could make the kind of move that ignites headlines and heartbreak in equal measure.

The Rangers’ rotation doesn’t need saving. With a league-best starting rotation ERA of 3.41 and second-best WHIP at 1.15, they already have the horses, led, ironically, by deGrom himself, who turned in a 2.95 ERA with 185 strikeouts across 30 starts. Their real weakness is the bullpen, which blew 29 saves, the kind of late-inning disaster that keeps managers pacing and fans praying. For a team with a $220 million payroll and a closing window, the fix isn’t subtle: find a finisher.

Díaz fits a little too perfectly. He’s reliable, electric, and already proven on the biggest stage in New York. Texas loves a big splash, and Díaz would make one loud enough to echo from Citi Field to the Lone Star State. The thought of those trumpets blaring anywhere but Queens is enough to make Mets fans reach for the mute button and the tissues. Fans are hoping they don’t make the same mistake again, as Michael Scott said on The Office: “Fool me once, strike one. But fool me twice, strike three.”