Because reporters who cover MLB are extremely talented, we have known for several days now that the New York Mets signed Edwin Diaz to a five-year, $102 million contract with a club option for 2028.
But we always welcome Steven Cohen tweets: the Mets owner just made things official on Wednesday afternoon.
“Sound the trumpets! It’s official. Edwin Diaz deal is done,” he tweeted.
Sound the trumpets! It’s official. Edwin Diaz deal is done.
— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 9, 2022
Diaz and Timmy Trumpet helped each other become even more famous than they already were, as the pitcher used “Narco”, by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet, as his entrance song.
The song became a sensation in MLB and then the Mets brought in the trumpet man himself to perform live as Diaz walked to the mound.
It was electrifying to see Citi Field dancing and pretending to play a trumpet when the song was played.
A Dominant Force
Diaz was already one of the most dominant relievers in baseball, but what he did in 2022 earned him $100 million and the respect of the league.
In 62 innings, he posted an incredible 1.31 ERA and struck out 118 hitters.
Take a minute to digest that.
He had the best strikeout percentage in the league, and earned 32 saves, too.
Perhaps more importantly, I have accumulated 3.0 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), more than most starters.
He has 64 saves in the last two seasons.
His Fielding Independent Pitching, or FIP (a stat that removes fielding from the equation and grades pitchers for the things they can control) was a stellar 0.90.
Five-year contracts for relievers are usually not a very good idea, but Diaz is just so good that he may just be worth it.
He is also 28, and should have several good years ahead of him.
