NEW YORK (PIX11) — The Mets made the right decision regarding their closer yesterday. There was no need to see Edwin Diaz pitch in a regular season game this season.
There was nothing to prove or gain, and as Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner said, it was too risky.
Diaz will indeed miss the entire season after tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating Puerto Rico’s victory over the Dominican Republic in March. In hindsight, that injury set a tone for the season for the Mets, as they were every bit of a disaster in 2023.
In 2022, Diaz was quite simply the best closer in all of Major League Baseball. He finished the season with 32 saves, a 1.31 ERA with 118 strikeouts, and a 0.84 WHIP. He was fantastic. He was rewarded with a $102 million contract last November, which was well deserved.
There was a time when people questioned whether Diaz could thrive in New York and handle all the pressure. He answered the call in 2022. He does not need to prove whether he belongs or is dominant. He is both. It would be an excellent mental hurdle to overcome to get back this season. He set a goal to do so. However, the Mets have played relatively meaningless baseball for the past few months.
There was no need to run Diaz out there and risk a potential injury. He has been throwing bullpen sessions and will continue to do so. The Mets have many on-field questions going into the off-season; there was no need to risk creating another. We know what Edwin Diaz is, he is great and i look forward to watching him pitch with “Narco” blaring in the background in 2024.
Protect the asset, and that is precisely what the Mets did.
