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The Edwin Diaz news even caught Devin Williams by surprise. 

The newly signed reliever expected the Mets to be able to retain their star closer in free agency, pairing them to form a dynamic one-two punch at the backend of the bullpen. 

However, as things have played out, Diaz ended up taking slightly more money to join the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers on a three-year pact on Tuesday. 

Williams will now instead be handed the mighty tall task of filling the huge void left behind in the backend of New York’s bullpen following Diaz’s departure. 

While the 31-year-old is coming off a bit of an up-and-down campaign with the Yankees, David Stearnsvoiced his confidence in him taking over the role. 

“We’re very comfortable with that,” Stearns said. “I’ve seen Devin perform at a very high level for a long time. 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.”

Though Williams is receiving the first shot with not many other experienced options on the roster as currently constructed, he knows he’ll still have to go out and earn the role. 

Whether he ends up with the ball in the eighth or ninth, he’s taking the same approach. 

“I’ve always looked at it as it’s the same job,” Williams said on SNY’s Mets Hot Stove from the Winter Meetings on Tuesday. “You’re going out there to get three outs, five outs, whatever it may be -- just whatever the team needs you to do.”

Stearns wouldn’t reveal if the team was still in the market for another backend bullpen piece, but he did say they’ll continue to build the bullpen in numerous ways. 

Robert Suarez and Pete Fairbanks are two of the top relievers remaining on the market. 

David Stearns had plenty to say on the second day of the MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, and while he couldn't comment on Edwin Diaz's reported signing with the Dodgers, the Mets president of baseball operations did offer a message to fans, his optimism for the 2026 season, an outlook on the outfield market, and other insights on the offseason.

Message to Mets fans

“As we look at our organization, we are very optimistic and confident about where we are headed,” Stearns said during a conversation on Tuesday's episode of SNY’s Mets Hot Stove. “We have tremendous ownership support, we’ve got really good top-end talent at the major league level, and we’ve got one of the best farm systems in all of baseball. 

“And when you add all of that up, we are headed in an outstanding direction.”

But Stearns, the boyhood Mets fans, understands the fans’ displeasure, something he shares.

“I certainly understand that our fanbase is frustrated with how our season ended last year; we’re frustrated with how our season ended last year,” he said. “We didn’t meet our expectations, and we gotta do better than that.”

With the offseason bringing changes, Stearns admitted he also understands fans’ attachment to some long-tenured players who will be moving on to other clubs either through trades or free agency. 

“I also understand that our fans naturally have an attachment, as we do as well have an attachment, to players who have been here and have performed here for a long time. And we do take that into account, and it is part of the decisions that we have made,” he said. “We also have to be very cognizant of making the decisions that are going to allow us to compete now and also fit in with the future years when we want to consistently be a World Series-caliber team and World Series-caliber organization.

“And sometimes that leads to really tough, uncomfortable decisions. And we’ve had to make a couple of those over the course of this offseason.”

‘Always urgency’

On the second day of the meetings, is the Mets’ top baseball decision-maker facing a greater sense of urgency?

“I think there’s always urgency,” Stearns said. “I think we’re always trying to improve the team to the best of our ability, trying to make the decisions that are best for the organization. So I think we always feel a sense of urgency.”

On the Mets’ resources

With Steve Cohen showing he is more than willing to outlay money for players, Stearns was asked if that commitment from ownership makes it tough to stay disciplined when negotiating. 

"Our resources that we have here are an enormous advantage. As long as we allocate those resources intelligently, they're going to continue to be an enormous advantage,” Stearns said. “Steve gives us everything we need to have not only a great roster, but a competitive organization in every single respect. I think our players and coaches recognize that. 

“I have no doubt that we're going to continue to have the resources we need to compete at a very high level."

He added later: “I think we’re always weighing how certain transactions fit into the larger puzzle of the resources we have. We have a lot of resources; no team has unending resources, and I’ve said that before. 

“We’ve got all the resources we need, all of the payroll space we need to put a really good team on the field. That doesn’t mean it’s infinite, nor should it be. And so, every decision point – whether it’s a trade, whether it’s free agency – has constraints on it and we do our best to work with them in the context of what is a very heavily resourced and well-supported team.”

On roster continuity

With two long tenured Mets departing already this offseason – Brandon Nimmo in a trade and the Diaz's reported signing – Stearns was asked if he views it as a challenge to balance the need to improve with a desire to keep the continuity going.

“That is something, broadly, that we talk about a lot,” Stearns said. “We have a lot of those conversations; we’ve had them throughout this offseason, we had them throughout last offseason, as well, when we were faced with some decisions. And it is part of it.

“I’ve said this before, I can’t tell you I know exactly how to weigh that. I think we do our best to weigh the full impact of any player on our team, on our organization. And we make the best decision we can.”

On coaching turnover

The biggest spot of turnover so far this offseason came with Carlos Mendoza’s coaching staff. And Stearns was asked if he believed the departures could make the Mets a less desirable place for free agents to come to after a report indicated that Diaz was displeased with the departure of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.

“From the feedback I have heard from players, is they are very excited to work with our coaching staff this year,” Stearns said. “We’ve brought in a number of very highly respected, well-thought-of coaches throughout the league. I think we’re gonna have a group that’s very excited to work with our coaching staff.”

On ‘robust’ outfield market

After the Nimmo trade, the Mets have a spot open in left field without an obvious choice, but several internal candidates, including Jeff McNeil and possibly prospect Carson Benge. With that being said, Stearns does see the outfield market as a robust one.

“Between what’s available in free agency and some of the names that are being talked about in the trade market, there’s a pretty robust group out there, there’s a pretty robust market,” he said. “And we’re gonna continue to explore that. And I also think we’ve got some really good internal candidates, as well.”

On what's down on the farm

Speaking of prospects down on the farm like Benge, Stearns said that "one of the exciting parts of our system" is that it isn't top-heavy.

"It's not just that top echelon of player, the guy that's on the cover of a magazine and talked about," he said. "We like those guys, as well, but then we look at Jett Williams, who's also a Top 100 prospect, [Ryan] Clifford, who's gonna be in Triple-A next year [and] a step away, A.J. Ewing, who has emerged as one of the top, dynamic prospects in all of baseball. 

"Not even to get into the arms that we have, that we're very excited about, who we began to see impact our major league team last year, and we think will continue to impact our major league team. We've got as deep a system as exists in baseball. We think we've got tremendous upside at the top of that system, and we're gonna begin to see those players really impact our major league team this year."

The Mets now know where they stand in next year's draft.

MLB had its annual draft lottery on Tuesday night and the Mets will pick No. 27 in the 2026 MLB Draft.

Despite their record, the Mets are picking that low because they exceeded the second CBT threshold, which docked the organization 10 spots. However, it may not affect much for the Mets, who have had some fast-rising prospects in recent years.

This past draft, the Mets selected second baseman Mitch Voit out of the University of Michigan with the No. 38 overall pick. Voit played 22 games in Low-A this past summer, where the 21-year-old slashed .235/.343/.294 with an OPS of .637 and one home run. 

The year prior, Carson Benge was selected with the No. 19 overall pick. The outfielder took a big step in the minors this season and could feasibly make the Opening Day roster in 2026. And then two years back, the Mets selected catcher Kevin Parada with the No. 11 pick and shortstop Jett Williams with the No. 14 pick. 

While Parada has not developed as fast as other prospects, he just put together his best minor league season, hitting 11 homers and driving in 57 runs while ending the year in Triple-A. As for Williams, he's thought of by many as one of the Mets' top prospects, including our own Joe DeMayo, who has the shortstop as the No. 3 prospect in New York's system. 

Williams hit 17 home runs and slashed .261/.363/.465 with an OPS of .828 between Double-A and Triple-A. 

The 2026 MLB Draft is set for July 11-12 in Philadelphia.