Two of the most sought-after names from this year’s free agency market have officially been claimed, turning into a massive thud for New York baseball.

The Philadelphia Phillies have locked in free-agent slugger Kyle Schwarber on a five-year, $150 million deal that keeps him in Philly through age 37. And former Mets closer, Edwin Díaz, is leaving Queens for Chavez Ravine. The 31-year-old has signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. These signings have hurt the World Series outlook for the Mets and Yankees.

Before re-signing with the Phillies, Schwarber drew serious interest from the division-rival Mets. And it’s not hard to understand why.

Over the past four seasons, the Phillies slugger has slammed 187 homers and 340 overall since debuting with the Cubs in 2015.

And in Jim Bowden’s Winter Meetings list, the Mets closer was predicted to land with the crosstown rival Yankees on a five-year, $88 million deal. Instead, Edwin Díaz ended up signing for way less with the Dodgers.

In seven seasons with the Mets, including six healthy ones, Díaz made 332 appearances with a 2.93 ERA. He notched 144 saves and punched out 538 batters in 328.1 innings.

Heading into this week, reports suggested that the Mets and Diaz were far apart on a new contract. While the Mets were pushing for a three-year deal, Díaz was holding out for a five-year contract. He has clearly changed his mind.

Just as the news broke, New York Post MLB insider Mike Puma revealed that the Mets had made a very close offer themselves: three years and $66 million.

Now, losing their star closer by that thin margin is definitely going to sting for the Mets and their fans alike.

The New York Mets could now shift their focus to signing Robert Suárez

The Mets already locked up two-time All-Star Devin Williams on a three-year, $51 million contract as a potential closer. Next up, they can focus on strengthening the rest of the bullpen.

According to Jon Morosi, after losing Díaz to the Dodgers, the team is now one of two “top suitors” for two-time All-Star closer Robert Suárez. The Toronto Blue Jays are the other contender.

With the Phillies’ commitment to Schwarber, Suárez will likely move to a new team this offseason. 

In fact, the Phillies were probably going to let Suárez go even before signing Schwarber. With a deep pitching staff already in place, spending over $100 million to keep the lefty never really made much sense. And it’s good news for the Mets.

While Díaz may still be the superior closer, Suárez has also been highly effective in his first four MLB seasons, including three years with a sub-3.00 ERA. On top of that, he’s expected to come at a lower cost than Edwin Díaz.