For the longest time, New York Mets fans were refreshing their phone feeds, all in hopes of seeing David Stearns get back Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz. They need them. Even more so after the embarrassing season they had. But it’s too late now, Díaz has walked away.

Edwin Díaz has moved to the Los Angeles Dodgers, as The Athletic first reported.

Is this unexpected? Not really, because Diaz opted out for a reason. But what’s unexpected is the Mets’ urgency to cut a deal with him, because let’s be honest, this is a major loss for them and a major plus for LA.

LA didn’t just sign any reliever; they swooped in and grabbed the guy who changed the entire ballpark’s energy every time he stepped on. Plus, Díaz is coming off one of the best seasons of his career—a 1.63 ERA, ninety-eight strikeouts, and twenty-eight saves. And all of it after a tendon tear wiped out the entire 2023 for him.

He didn’t just bounce back; he came back looking like the same monster that shut everything down in 2022 this season. He earned the 2025 Trevor Hoffman Award, by the way—his third career Reliever of the Year trophy.

So, when Edwin Díaz chose to walk away from the final two years and $38 million on his deal, everyone knew that he was betting on himself, even the Dodgers. So they didn’t wait around for one of the league’s best relievers to end up elsewhere.

They saw the 97 mph fastball and that slider that opponents barely touch, and made the deal happen. Meanwhile, the Mets now get a compensation pick after the fourth round—so not exactly the kind of return that makes the fan base feel better about losing the heartbeat of the bullpen.

So, is it a surprise that Mets fans are turning on Stearns now?

New York Mets fans are done with David Stearns!

Watching the early morning news, one Mets fan summed it up perfectly: “Holy shit, the stove is hot.” And plenty of Mets fans felt the same. Losing Díaz stings because he wasn’t just another reliever, he anchored the bullpen for six years, helped lead postseason runs in 2022 and 2024, and allowed only three earned runs with 15 strikeouts across 11.1 playoff innings. You don’t usually let that kind of reliability walk.

Another fan shouted, “GOD DAMNIT STEARNS!!!” And it’s hard to blame them. Just a week ago, Mets fans were telling Yankees fans that Devin Williams would slot perfectly behind Díaz. Now Díaz is a Dodger, and Williams suddenly becomes the lone closer in one of baseball’s toughest markets, not part of a shutdown duo, but the last line of defense against another ninth-inning collapse.

One fan captured the mood perfectly: “There’s no point in even playing this year; just hand them the World Series.” And it’s easy to see why. The Dodgers already have a “villain” reputation for grabbing all the crème de la crème talent, and adding Díaz only fuels the “rich get richer” narrative. His triple-digit heat and postseason résumé instantly steady a bullpen that wobbled at times. The formula is simple now: jump ahead early, lock down the late innings, and hand it to Díaz. So the “just hand them the World Series now” frustration makes sense.

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Another fan sighed, “WAS THERE EVER A DOUBT?”, and for Mets fans, optimism is fading fast. Stearns and Co. seem to be sifting through Yankee castoffs lately, adding Carl Edwards Jr., Anderson Severino, and Nick Burdi while letting Díaz and possibly Alonso slip away.

One user vented, “Stearns is an absolute joke. He was the only one who couldn’t be replaced.” The frustration deepens when you realize Díaz didn’t sign a massive deal, just a three-year, $69 million contract pending a physical. How the Mets didn’t match that remains unclear. Maybe Stearns believes he can revive Devin Williams, or maybe Cohen’s checkbook is suddenly only open for ex-Yankees. Right now, it certainly feels that way.

Edwin Díaz’s exit leaves the Mets with a major hole and a frustrated fanbase. The Dodgers acted quickly, while the Mets hesitated and lost one of their most reliable arms. Now Stearns faces pressure to prove he has a real plan, because Mets fans are running out of patience.