What the latest NY Mets rumors about Edwin Diaz may mean for the starting rotation

Devin Williams is going to be a member of the New York Mets. Not yet known is whether Edwin Diaz will factor in. Like any reasonable human being, I’d never thought both were possible. According to Anthony DiComo, that’s not the case.

Williams followed by Diaz would be one impressive way to declare games over after 7 innings. It’s those pesky first 7 the Mets would need to worry about most. Coming off a year where their starting pitching was incredibly shaky, the thought of paying Williams and Diaz to lock down the final frames may tell us a little bit more about where David Stearns’ head is in regards to the free agent market with starters.

It’s no secret this winter’s offerings of starting pitchers isn’t the most impressive. Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, and others have a couple of red flags you can’t ignore. Tatsuya Imai is fascinating but there’s always a risk of players coming from foreign leagues. With an apparent willingness to spend as much money as the Mets would on a Diaz-Williams duo, we can start to conclude the Mets are more interested and confident in a starting pitcher they can acquire via trade.

Potentially paying a setup man as much as the Mets will with Devin Williams could mean the team will pass on the most expensive free agent starters

Who’s left in free agency that’ll get you really excited? Even while discounting the qualifying offer penalties the Mets will face, it has always made more sense to trade for an ace rather than try to snatch one up in free agency. Because their salaries will be cheaper, the Mets have the prospect capital to acquire one, and those players are so much better, it only seems more fitting for the biggest rotation addition of the winter to come via trade.

We have yet to see Stearns make a mega-trade while with the Mets. He has relied on Steve Cohen’s open vault to improve the Mets in the offseason. Minor trades have been a part of the plan, but none nearly as significant as acquiring Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan, or Tarik Skubal.

The Mets may have the richest owner in sports, but they aren’t operating with a blank check. There’s a budget and with other parts of the roster to be concerned about, it does seem like we’re headed toward a Mets roster headlined by someone who comes to Queens in exchange for other players, not just a bag of cash.

Just because the Mets do want Diaz doesn’t mean they’ll get him nor does it negate the free agent starting pitchers out there as possibilities. An interesting twist could end up being the Mets sign another player in the same classification as Williams such as Pete Fairbanks or Emilio Pagan. One of them could be an alternative option as the closer if Diaz ends up elsewhere and the Mets want added insurance in the ninth.

With multiple bullpen spots to figure out with the absence of a truly reliable pitcher for those middle innings, the Mets are far from finished when it comes to adding to their relief corps. They’ve been one of the most aggressive teams thus far and yet have so far to go.