The Mets finished three games behind the second wild card spot in 2019. Diaz blew seven save opportunities.
The Mets need Edwin Diaz to be what he was brought in to be. Anything less would be a failure.
In response to the spread of coronavirus, Major League Baseball cancelled the remainder of its Spring Training games and delayed the start of the 2020 regular season.
So, while baseball is on pause, so are the subplots that come with the start of a new season.
For the Mets, one of their biggest questions in 2020 will be the strength of their bullpen.
On paper, the Mets arguably have a formidable bullpen to support their starting pitching.
- Seth Lugo has the stuff to be an effective starting pitcher, but the Mets have benefited more from his work out of the pen.
- Dellin Betances is 32 years old now, but he brings credibility from his time with the Yankees.
- Justin Wilson was a workhorse in 2019 for the Mets. Every successful bullpen needs a couple of arms capable of doing some dirty work. Wilson isn’t just a lefty specialist anymore, the veteran showed he can be counted on for multiple in-game scenarios.
- Jeurys Familia finished 2019 with a 5.70 earned run average. He’s not the pitcher he was in his early years, but if the Mets can get him right, he’ll be counted on in the late innings.
But, let’s be clear… the Mets need Edwin Diaz to be right for all the pieces in their bullpen to fit.
A 1.96 earned run average in 2018, with the Seattle Mariners, is what put Diaz on the Mets’ radar. The 57 saves in 61 attempts doesn’t hurt either.
The Mets traded two of their top prospects, Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn, for Diaz and Robinson Cano. That was a heavy price to pay and, while Cano was the featured name in the deal, Diaz was the key to justifying it.
But not only did Cano struggle in 2019, so did Diaz.
A 5.59 earned run average wasn’t what the Mets were looking for from Diaz, but that’s exactly what they got.
Diaz was too reliant on his fastball after losing confidence in his slider. He allowed 15 home runs in 2019, 10 more than the previous season.
Those 15 home runs allowed came in the ninth inning. The money inning, when the game is won.
Confidence is what teams need to have in their closer…
And that’s what Diaz is supposed to be for the Mets. They gave up a lot for him and the only way that trade can be justified is if he plays up to expectations.
Here’s some perspective. The Mets, at 86-76, finished the 2019 season three games behind the second NL wild card spot. Diaz, in 66 appearances, blew seven save opportunities and finished with a 2-7 win-loss record.
The numbers don’t lie.
“One bad season doesn’t determine if you’re a bad pitcher or not,” Diaz said late last season. “I’m going to come back next season and I hope to prove to the fans here that I’m the Edwin Diaz that they wanted.”
Yes, the bullpen is deep. And a healthy Betances is a heck of a fallback plan to get the last three outs in a game. The focus, however, needs to stay on Diaz regaining his form from 2018.
The Mets didn’t trade for Diaz to be their seventh inning guy out of the bullpen. They didn’t give up two top prospects for Diaz to be their 8th inning setup pitcher. He needs to be their closer, he needs to be their money guy for the money inning.
