Apr 25, 2021; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso (20) and relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (39) slap hands after their game against the Washington Nationals during the top of the ninth inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
If there was a game that embodied the New York Yankees’ bullpen in 2025, it was that catastrophic collapse against the Miami Marlins after the trade deadline. That trio of David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and Jake Bird was touted as saviors, but even they couldn’t keep it together, playing a big part in squandering leads of 6-0, 9-4, and even 12-10 in the 9th inning. At that point, it felt like the season was cursed, and it didn’t matter who Aaron Boone would be bringing out of the bullpen. Prime Mariano Rivera may have had issues on that 2025 team, too.
This is why it isn’t so surprising to hear the Yankees linked to Edwin Diaz, that fireballer with a pro-wrestling entrance, who has been a staple of the New York Mets since 2019. According to Ken Rosenthal, he could be a target.
“The Mets’ crosstown rivals, the New York Yankees, are another club with potential interest,” Rosenthal wrote in the Athletic. “The Yankees, too, have other priorities: a starting pitcher and at least one outfielder. While they are set with David Bednar as their closer, they also face the losses of two high-leverage relievers in Williams and Luke Weaver, and Díaz is proven in New York.”
Relievers and running backs are the two most volatile positions in sports, and Diaz has proven to be an outlier. He has been a mark of consistency since entering the league in 2016. In six years with the Mets, Diaz has a 2.56 ERA in 328.1 innings. His 2022 season was so prolific that he garnered MVP and Cy Young votes.
Díaz is a two-pitch pitcher, and that fastball has been one of the best pitches in the sport for some time. Last year, opposing hitters hit .133 off of it with a .295 slugging percentage. He generated a 39.4% whiff rate with it as well. It’s the type of swing-and-miss stuff that the Yankees have desperately been missing.
In Diaz’s most recent contract, he signed a five-year deal worth $102 million. He opted out after this last season, voiding the final two years, hoping for a bigger payday in free agency. Rosenthal previously reported that Diaz is seeking similar numbers to the last one, and if the Yankees are going to foot the bill, are they really considering paying a 31-year-old reliever into his late thirties?
Diaz has indeed been a model of consistency, but paying a reliever the big bucks has hurt them in their most recent past. Look no further than Aroldis Chapman, who ended up becoming the worst-case scenario on all fronts in his final seasons in New York. Chapman gave up back-breaking home runs in back-to-back playoff series in 2019 and 2020, effectively ending the Yankees’ season both times.
Chapman then lost the closer role in 2021 despite a hot start and was eventually usurped by Clay Holmes in 2022. In that final season, he walked out on the team before the postseason, skipping out on a mandatory workout.
By the end of his deal, the Yankees were stuck paying a guy who could no longer pitch in the ninth inning. His first deal wasn’t so different than what Diaz may be getting. In 2017, the Yankees signed him to a five-year, $86 million contract, followed by a three-year, $48 million extension in 2020.
Of course, Chapman was his own special nightmare, and the only thing he was worse at than finding the strike zone as a Yankee was his ability to be accountable. Even if it’s doubtful that Diaz would come with the same character concerns, there should still be a worry about paying an exorbitant fee for a reliever again.
It’s less about Diaz making too much, because he has more than earned it, but the fact that Hal Steinbrenner is the owner, and he can give the directive to cut payroll at any time. Any free agent comes with risks, and somebody like Kyle Tucker can turn into a pumpkin, too, but they already lived the agony of a star reliever losing it and being stuck with him, and they should think hard before making that same mistake again.
Nathaniel Lowe is expected to be cut loose by the Red Sox this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)AP
The Red Sox have some roster cleanup due this week, with Tuesday marking the date by which teams need to add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft and Friday representing the annual non-tender deadline for arbitration-eligible players. Don’t expect Boston to clear a roster spot by cutting bait with a homegrown former All-Star starter, though.
At this point, Boston is unlikely to non-tender injured righty Tanner Houck, multiple sources said Monday. With a 40-man roster crunch coming, there was some thought that cutting bait with Houck was possible due to his current situation. Houck, who took home $3.95 million in 2025, is projected (by MLBTradeRumors’ widely used model) to take home the same salary in 2026, but is expected to miss most if not all of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery in August. Considering the 2027 season is in jeopardy due to labor tensions and Houck is set to hit free agency after that year, the possibility existed that the Red Sox could non-tender (release) Houck into free agency to save a bit of money knowing he won’t be ready to pitch for most of 2026. But sources indicate the Red Sox plan to tender him a contract.
It’s unclear if the sides have talked about a creative long-term deal. Tendering Houck a contract would keep him under club control ahead of negotiations to avoid arbitration and set a 2026 salary later in the winter.
By Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, teams must add eligible prospects to their 40-man rosters to protect them from being poached in next month’s Rule 5 draft. The Red Sox, who have a full 40-man roster, don’t have a long list of candidates but are expected to make at least a move or two. Right-handed prospect David Sandlin is a virtual lock to be added, requiring at least one 40-man roster spot to be cleared. Lefties Shane Drohan and Hayden Mullins, righties Yordanny Monegro (injured) and Jedixson Paez and outfielder Miguel Bleis are among the other potential Rule 5 candidates in the organization. If the Red Sox want to make sure any of those players aren’t taken in the Rule 5 draft, they can add them. Doing so would require spots to be cleared.
Any roster spots that need to be cleared for prospect additions need to be opened simultaneously Tuesday, which is a day when small trades are usually made throughout baseball. Therefore, the Red Sox could get a jump on the Friday non-tender deadline (set for 8 p.m. ET) by moving on from players four days early. The non-tender date represents an opportunity for teams to cut bait with arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration-eligible players and send them into free agency. The Red Sox, unlike in previous years, could be busy on non-tender day.
The most obvious non-tender candidate on the roster is first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who is projected to earn $13.5 million in 2026. That mark represents much more than what he’d get on the open market after a down season that included him being cut by the Nationals. Lowe will almost certainly be lopped off the roster but could re-sign at a lower rate as he tests the open market. Boston is anticipating the healthy return of Triston Casas next season and is looking to upgrade the first base position via free agency or trade.
The Red Sox have seven other arbitration-eligible players and are certain to retain Kutter Crawford, Romy Gonzalez, Triston Casas and Brennan Bernardino at their low projected numbers. Connor Wong, who is projected to make $1.6 million in 2026, is expected to be tendered after Craig Breslow gave him a vote of confidence last week. Cooper Criswell already agreed to a one-year, $800,000 deal for 2026, removing him from non-tender consideration.
In addition to Lowe, the Red Sox could cut bait with some younger players on the roster. Righty Josh Winckowski (projected to make $800,000) is a candidate to be cut from the roster, as is lefty Jovani Morán. Tough roster decisions might be made with the utility group of Vaughn Grissom, David Hamilton, Nate Eaton and Nick Sogard later in the winter but for now, those players are projected to be safe.