Is Edwin Diaz the best Mets closer in franchise history?
The Mets' John Franco pitches against the Padres at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, California on July 21, 1993. Credit: Getty Images/Stephen Dunn
Is Edwin Diaz the best reliever in Mets history?
Depends on how you look at it.
Diaz, who has agreed to a three-year, $69-million contract to leave the Mets for the two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers, is third on the Mets’ all-time saves list.
In his six seasons in Flushing – a seventh (2023) was wiped out because of an injury he suffered in the World Baseball Classic – Diaz had 144 regular-season saves.
That’s third in team history behind John Franco (276) and Armando Benitez (160).
Other notables on the Mets’ all-time saves list include Hall of Famer Billy Wagner (sixth place, 101 saves as a Met) and Tug McGraw (seventh, 86).
McGraw, who spent nine seasons with the Mets, is a different type of reliever since his career pre-dated the advent of the one-inning closer. Wagner spent four seasons with the Mets and went into Cooperstown with a Houston Astros logo on the cap of his Hall of Fame plaque.
Diaz turns 32 on March 22. That he will blow out his candles as a member of the Dodgers and not the Mets caused much consternation among Mets fans, who are already reeling from the trade of fan favorite Brandon Nimmo to Texas and the possible loss of free agent Pete Alonso.
But David Stearns isn’t letting emotion enter into his decisions. That doesn’t mean what’s in your heart as a fan can’t play a role when it comes to awarding the mythical title of “best reliever in Mets history.”
Who is John Franco.
Franco certainly has the numbers to back up his candidacy. He spent 14 seasons with the Mets. He was inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame in 2012. The Mets acquired the lefthander from the Reds in a deal for reliever Randy Myers and Kip Gross in 1989, and Franco kept signing contract after contract to stay with the Mets (three in all when he could have gone elsewhere) with the exception of his final season with Houston in 2005.
Franco was 44 in his final season. Diaz is in his prime, and can reasonably be expected to pitch until he’s 40 if he stays healthy. So if Diaz had stayed with the Mets for the rest of his career – let’s say another eight seasons to get him to 40 years old – he would have ended up with more than 300 saves and possibly 400.
But Diaz isn’t staying with the Mets (tear emoji).
And for as much as fans loved his Timmy Trumpet-backed entrance, for as much as your eyes marveled at how Diaz at his best made major-league hitters look silly with his 100-mph heat and wipeout slider, for as much as the Mets relied on Diaz during their magical run to the 2024 NLCS, Franco’s longevity in Flushing earns him the nod.
Franco’s loyalty should count for something. There’s a lot to be said for staying where you are comfortable and finishing the job if the difference is a few million dollars.
After the Mets lost the 2000 World Series to the Yankees, Franco was a free agent. He turned down a chance to close for the Phillies (and possibly chase what at the time was the all-time MLB saves record) and returned to the Mets as Benitez’s set-up man because he wanted to try to win a ring in his hometown.
“I knew in my heart what I wanted to do,” Franco said at the time.
In the coming days, Diaz will get the chance to explain what’s in his heart, and why he is joining the Dodgers rather than trying to beat them.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
