Pending free agent Edwin Diaz wants Mets to approach him quickly: 'I hope I can come back'

After the Mets' season-ending loss to the San Diego Padres on Sunday night at Citi Field, pending free agent Edwin Diaz discussed his uncertain future, saying his hope is to be back.

"I think we got to wait until the season's over," Diaz told reporters. "I hope the team comes to me quick to talk. I hope we got the best offer. We'll take the best offer for me and my family."

Added Diaz about his coming free agency:

"I haven't talked [about] that with my agent and my family because we were concentrating to play in the playoffs. But now I got the chance to think about that, and see with my family and we will make the best decision for me.

"I hope I can come back here. If not, I understand it's a business. We'll go the best way with my family."

Diaz said multiple times during the season that he wanted to remain a Met, and with most of the Mets' bullpen aside from Diaz also heading for free agency (including Seth Lugo, Adam Ottavino, and Trevor May), one has to figure that the Mets locking up the best closer in baseball is near the top of their priority list.

Diaz, who will turn 29 years old next March, made $10.2 million this season in what was his final year of arbitration.

There has been speculation that Diaz could make $20 million per year in free agency, and that figure really isn't crazy when you consider that we're talking about a dominant reliever in his prime who will likely get not only Cy Young votes but MVP votes this offseason.

In 62 innings over 61 games this season, Diaz had a 1.31 ERA (0.90 FIP) and 0.83 WHIP with 118 strikeouts -- a rate of 17.1 strikeouts per 9.

He allowed just three home runs all season, with the last one coming on May 12.

And a look at Diaz's advanced numbers via Baseball Savant show a pitcher who was in the 96th percentile or better when it came to xBA, strikeout rate, chase rate, fastball velocity, whiff rate, average exit velocity, xERA/xwOBA, and xSLG.

Meanwhile, while some have painted Diaz's 2022 as a sudden resurgence, the truth is that he has been an absolute beast for the Mets for the last three seasons -- following a debut year in Queens in 2019 that was an aberration.

Since 2020, Diaz has a 2.27 ERA (1.78 FIP) and 0.99 WHIP with 257 strikeouts in 150.1 innings over 150 games -- a strikeout rate of 15.4 per 9. During that span, he has allowed just eight home runs. For context, he allowed 15 home runs in 2019 alone.

Diaz is dominant and reliable. Now it's time for the Mets to decide just how much they're willing to pay to keep him in blue and orange. Hint: it should be a lot.