NY Mets Monday Morning GM: 3 changes David Stearns will have a hard time selling fans

2) Not re-signing Edwin Diaz, and getting too clever with his replacement, is trouble

Re-sign Edwin Diaz and all is good. You’ve sold the fans. At whatever price it takes, bringing Diaz back into the fold for 2026 and beyond wins with the fans.

We know this isn’t a given. Stearns’ reputation for taking chances on pitchers in particular could have them going down other rabbit holes. Robert Suarez is the next best thing available in free agency. Short term deals with Raisel Iglesias or Kenley Jansen are other moves he could make. What about something more off-the-wall?

Pushing Clay Holmes out of the rotation and into a closer’s role feels icky outside of it being necessary to bolster the rotation with two really good arms. A signing like Emilio Pagan wouldn’t feel like the solution. Although he effectively became a closer for the Cincinnati Reds last year, he should be viewed by the Mets as a setup man option and not the final boss.

Not so much out of the box as much as it would be risky, the Mets might find themselves landing Devin Williams at a perceived bargain. It’s fine, but as a closer, it’s a step downward. The same would go if the Mets signed Luke Weaver, Kyle Finnegan, or any other pitcher who experienced troubles in the closer role.

It’s fine to have the desire to fix a broken pitcher. Just don’t let him be the end-all, be-all expected to get you your final 3 outs.