The Mets Are Going To Look A Lot Different Next Year

A remixed version of "Meet The Mets" played at the ballpark in Queens before every home game in 2025. But when fans arrive next year, that song will have a much more literal meaning, because they'll be stepping up to greet unfamiliar faces who have filled the void where long-tenured and beloved franchise players once stood. While the disappointment of last season certainly portended a roster shake-up—one that started in November when possible Met-for-life Brandon Nimmo was sent to Texas for Marcus Semien—a couple of key departures this week have nevertheless added new layers of worry and confusion to what was already one of the league's most worried and confused fanbases.

First, on Tuesday, all-star closer Edwin Díaz signed with the Dodgers, seemingly not because the money was all that much better, though it was, but because he was ready to play for the back-to-back reigning world champs. Díaz's trumpet-melody entrance created a brand-new jock jam heard in stadiums nationwide, and it served as the most distinctive quality of the team's ballpark experience. While the Mets hope Devin Williams, their newest bullpen signing, will bounce back to the dominant form he showed in Milwaukee a couple years ago, losing your longtime closer is undeniably a destabilizing experience.