In one of the biggest moves of the offseason, the New York Mets lost their star closer, Edwin Diaz, to the Los Angeles Dodgers. That, of course, hasn’t really worked out so far for LA, as Diaz struggled to begin the year and now is on the IL and will be for the next few months. The Mets then signed former All-Star, Devin Williams, which so far, hasn’t exactly worked out. The Mets may have to find a new closer if Williams continues to struggle.
Who Could Be the Closer for the Mets?
3. Kodai Senga
Williams has begun the year with an ugly 10.29 ERA and has also blown a save. Such numbers will be very costly for New York who has started 9-17 and can’t afford to lose games they can easily win. One surprising candidate could be Kodai Senga. Senga has struggled in four starts this season and has an ugly 8.83 ERA of his own, however, he has thrown remarkably hard this season.
Senga has averaged 96.3 MPH on his fastball, which is the best of his career so far. Senga still has the ghost fork and could be an interesting pitcher to consider. Senga at times can struggle to control the strike zone, however, Senga could be a very good closer for New York if Williams continues to struggle.
Senga may not be able to come back into the starting rotation, which leaves New York with an interesting asset. If he can throw hard, then can he be a good reliever?
2. Dylan Ross
Dylan Ross, 25, is an interesting player who could take the spotlight for the closing role. Ross can through considerably hard, up to 99-100 mph on his fastball, and Ross has been able to show that he can be an affective reliever, and even closer.
Although at times Ross has struggled with control, he struck out 80 in just 54 innings pitched last season, and Ross also pitched to an 2.19 ERA with seven saves. Perhaps Ross is too inexperienced for the role, but he could an very interesting arm in the bullpen for New York regardless. If New York wants a closer that can absolutely pitch velo, than Ross is their guy- especially if other pitchers struggle in addition to Williams.
1. Luke Weaver
In the last two seasons, Luke Weaver found himself tasked with 17 saves for the New York Yankees, which funnily enough, was because of two Yankee closers, Clay Holmes and Williams, who are now both Mets, struggling. Weaver was a good reliever for New York in 2024-25, and now has begun his Mets career shaky. In 10 games, Weaver has a 5.40 ERA with seven Ks and four BBs. Weaver’s velo has a dropped a bit since 2024, where he has averaging 95.7 on his fastball, and in 2026 so far, Weaver is averaging 94.3 mph. Overall, if Weaver was to become the closer, New York would probably want to see that go up.
However, with his really good 2024 and pretty good 2025, Weaver may be a good option for New York. Not to mention, if Carlos Mendoza feels like giving more saves to a pitcher not named Williams, Weaver would probably be No. 1 on the list.
There is a chance that Williams can figure things out. However, New York can definitely not afford for any sort of trouble when it comes to closing out games. New York has plenty of time to get back to .500, as they were 22-33 in 2024 as well. However, if losses occur that don’t need to occur, then New York will have no choice but to look to other options.
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