When news broke that Andrew Friedman and the Los Angeles Dodgers outright stole Edwin Diaz in free agency on a record-breaking three-year, $69 million deal, New York Mets fans turned their ire towards David Stearns with one simple question: how could the Mets' President of Baseball Operations let that happen?

Fortunately, fans didn't have to wait long for an answer, as the MLB Winter Meetings are in full swing in Orlando, Florida, and Stearns was on-site to answer questions from reporters. Though he couldn't comment on any deal that wasn't official just yet, Stearns said as much as he could about the situation.

“So I'm not going to comment on a specifics, obviously I've seen the reporting, but since the deal is not official, I can't comment on it. I'm very optimistic about where our offseason is headed,” Stearns explained. “We've got certainly work to do, but there are a lot of good players out there, and I'm confident that we're really going to like where our team is once we get to opening day.”

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Fortunately for Mets fans, Stearns was able to comment on Devin Williams and decided to full-throatedly endorse his new closer as his true closer now that no other option is on the table.

“Yeah, and we're very comfortable with that. I've certainly seen Devin perform at a very high level for a long time,” Stearns declared. “I have full confidence that he can be one of the best relievers in baseball. I think he's very motivated to do that, and I'm looking forward to watching that.”

Will Williams, a pitcher who recorded a WAR of -0.3 and a career-worst ERA of 4.79 in 2025, be able to play up to Diez's standards in 2026? Or will fans immediately grab their pitchforks when Diez is dealing to “Narco” at Blue Heaven and Williams blows a save? With the proverbial ink on the contracts officially dry, fans will find out soon enough.