Injured Mets closer Edwin Diaz has been targeting a late-season return since tearing the patellar tendon in his knee during the World Baseball Classic, and even with the Mets squarely out of postseason contention, he’s still working toward that goal. Diaz told reporters yesterday that he just threw his first bullpen session and is still hoping to pitch before the end of the year (video link via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). Diaz’s hope is “to finish the year on a positive note,” and he later added that he was hitting 93 to 95 mph in Sunday’s bullpen session.
Onlookers may question the notion of bringing Diaz back at the short end of his recovery window of six to eight months, but both the pitcher and key members of the organization have previously spoken about the importance of Diaz getting back onto the mound to be sure he’s healthy and give him piece of mind through a hopefully normal offseason. Via Jerry Beach of the Associated Press, manager Buck Showalter said just yesterday that Diaz even being considered a possibility to return is a “good thing” and that the righty getting back on the mound would be “really exciting for everybody.” Showalter also emphasized that no decision will be made until Diaz is given medical clearance — which is still a aways off.
Diaz inked a five-year, $102MM contract to return to the Mets before free agency even opened in earnest last offseason — the largest contract ever given to a reliever. The first season of that pact has been wiped out entirely by his WBC knee injury. Given all that’s gone wrong in Queens this season, it’s unlikely that a healthy Diaz would’ve been enough to salvage the 2023 campaign, but losing him for the majority of the year was the first of many contributing factors to the downfall of a club featuring MLB’s largest-ever payroll.
The 29-year-old Diaz’s fastball isn’t back up to full strength, of course, but it’s nonetheless encouraging that he’s throwing 93 to 95 mph in his first ’pen session. Diaz averaged 98.7 mph on his heater from 2020-22 — including 99.1 mph last year — and pitched to an electric 2.27 ERA with 70 saves during that time. His 2022 campaign was one of the best ever by a relief pitcher, as he worked to a pristine 1.31 ERA with 32 saves, a better-than-average 7.7% walk rate and a historic 50.2% strikeout rate that stands as the second-highest ever for a qualified reliever during a 162-game season (third-highest, if counting Devin Williams’ 53% mark during the shortened 2020 season).
Please no.
In true Metsian fashion, Diaz will take them out of the bottom 6 and re-injure himself in the process. He’d better be in for mop ups.
You got that dead right… if it wasn’t for the WBC the Mets would be in first place right now…. smdh way to go WBC
Please explain this to me. Robertson was one of the best relievers in the 1st half. The Mets still stunk. They are a lot more than a Diaz away from being good.
Von, I detected sarcasm in Hippy’s comment.
Yes, Robertson more than filled the expectations in replacing Diaz. It was the extremely poor production from their Offense that ruined the Mets chances this year. Alonso and Lindor tried to carry the load because they got gotz from McNeil-Marte-Canha, not to mention a buck twenty five from Nido when the other guys I mentioned were tanking. And Scherzer wasn’t the stopper when he needed to be, coughing up 2-3 run leads when they were still “in the race”.
The Mets were indeed a lot more away from being good.
I mean Mcneil has a 332 Clip with RISP and is 13th in the NL with that mark. He really hasn’t had that abysmal of a year as his stat line suggests imo.
@ hippy
I’m not exactly sure which part of this, sarcastic or not, is to me.
It could have happened in Spring Training… at least in the WBC you actually play for something meaningful.
@Hippyripper
It’s always hard to tell the difference in text the difference between good sarcasm and delusional thinking…especially when it comes to the Mets fanbase…because in the Mets fanbase, both sound the same.
Wondering if the Mets are show casing him as if the Mets are going spend for free agents in 2024 and rumors that Pete Alonso could be traded why have an expensive closer. Mets aren’t afraid to eat money so he could net a good return
Benjamin: There have been a lot of rumors about players you would never think would be traded (Verlander) and others of the same top caliber (Cease, Alonso) possibly being traded, but to me it’s inconceivable that Cohen would let Diaz go. Stranger things have happened, but I just don’t see it.
Right you are, Avenger65. The Mets just did a Diaz bobblehead for Christ’s sake. 😉
If the Mets are looking to trade Diaz, considering that Cohen is willing to pay a ton of money for prospects, I’m all for the Marlins getting in on that, with Cohen paying the bulk of Diaz’s contract.
Unless some team comes knocking with an insane offer, and is willing to take on all the money owed, I don’t see it happening. You don’t just offer the largest contract ever given a closing pitcher if there is the slightest possibility you’re going to trade him within the next year.
So, when he inevitably injures himself in this comeback during a wasteful season, will people cry If nOt fOr tHe mLb sEaSoN, hE WoUlDn’t hAvE BeEn iNjUrEd!!!
Actually, if not for the idiotic WBC, he wouldn’t have been injured.
And what’s going on with your capitalization? Have you been smoking that wacky tabacky again?
@Blue Baron
I was talking like those folks that blamed the WBC. Thanks for providing an additional example…
Those of us who blame the WBC are not wrong. It’s a stupid event that exists primarily for marketing and selling licensed merchandise, and it shouldn’t be played during spring training.
It would be more intelligent to play it at warm weather or indoor sites after the World Series. Or better yet, not at all.
Blue Baron: That’s like saying the PO were responsible for Bellinger’s arm injury. We should get rid of the PO because it exists primarily for marketing and selling licensed merchandise. Oh, and don’t forget tons of cash from the networks. Why else would there be nearly half of BB in the PO?
At least in the WBC, you play for something other than spoiled rotten cash.
@Doom & Bloom: Crap.
MLB only sanctions it because it’s getting a cut of licensed merchandise sales.
How naive are you?
@avenger65: PO? You mean the MLBPA?
@Doom & Bloom: PS – And who do you think rakes in the profits from concessions and stadium rental fees for WBC games played in their ballparks?
It’s MLB teams like the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Marlins, and Padres.
Something other than spoiled rotten cash! LOL, that’s a good one.
Call me naive, fine, but I actually prefer the WBC to MLB. Has nothing to do with being naive.
And to go back to the original answer- an injury is an injury. Why don’t we focus on the price Edwin Diaz is paid rather than the injury because that is the root of the problem.
But none of those teams play for their country, which is a sense of pride you don’t get to the same degree in MLB. Again, it’s obviously a matter if preference, but I prefer the WBC.
If the injury happened later on in MLB or spring training, we are at square one. It could have happened anywhere. WBC will be at fault for any and all injuries in your book, but that’s not changeable, so deal and accept it.
Why is Diaz paid so much? That is a bigger issue if you ask me. He’s overpaid.
Why? He earned free agency and the right to sell his services to the highest bidder who willingly offered him the contract.
He is at value according to the market for shutdown closers.
If you think players are somehow overpaid, think back to the decades before the illegal reserve system was overturned, when many players were underpaid – especially the superstars like Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Babe Ruth, and others.
Actually, as I said above, players like Diaz are, by definition, not overpaid.
They are paid what the owners of the teams that sign them offered in an open market for their services.
I never said Edwin was at fault. He’s smart for taking the money. But he’s had an injury history a couple years ago and Mets paid him like he’s the best closer in baseball. That’s their fault and part of their demise. The Mets threw money out at everyone and hoped it would stick. Of course players will take the highest bid.
The point is it was a bad deal for the Mets to spend so much on him.
Overpaid or not, Mets bite the bullet and have for dishing out money. The contract he had was pretty outrageous considering his injury two years ago and a couple down years. It’s a lot for a closer. Maybe some teams are fine with that but Mets threw money out at players and got dealt the worst hand this year.
I tend to think tons of players are overpaid. I deal more conservatively, but that is the way I see things.
But like Diaz, they are paid what the market for their services will bear, much like film actors, attorneys in certain specialties, and physicians, for example.
People in such fields have certain skills and talents that are rare in the larger population and valuable to their employers and/or clients.
You calling anyone overpaid is based on vague, nebulous standards having nothing to do with the value they bring to the table.
I think it’s overpaid but please continue to educate me. Your first two paragraphs were meaningless until you got to your point in the third.
If you’re happy with the Mets’ current state, then you’re right. Teams who sign for less and make more bang for the buck must be total geniuses then, because if it’s not overpaid, then it’s market value and other teams doing better than market value. Point is, he could have been gotten cheaper and when you spend big, you become the Mets, Padres, and Yankees.
You have no data as a basis to prove that any player could have been signed for less than the value of his current contract.
And read my post again. None of it was meaningless. It’s about how professional supply vs demand works.
All you’re doing is second guessing with 20-20 hindsight. That’s both meaningless and useless.
Yet, the argument was about the WBC… how much we have diverted. Look, you bring up a solid point. I just don’t agree with signing guys to expensive contracts too much, as I’ve seen the impact directly on the Mets, Padres, and Yankees. It works for the players but those teams haven’t profited from it. That’s my main point.
But I still prefer the “idiotic” WBC and playing for ones country. You just have a way of wording it as “stupid” and “idiotic” as if it were a fact, and it’s simply your opinion. In any case, my opinion is I like it and think it’s good for the game on a national level.
What’s wrong with a short stint in Arizona fall ball?
As an onlooker, my first thought would be for him to pack it in for the season. But as a former player, I totally understand why he wants to come back early. I could never let a summer go without playing. But if I was being paid $20+m a year, I wouldn’t risk it. He should wait until his knee is completely healed, then play in a winter league.
I’m a former high school player too.
baseballteam: Not high school. Not college. Just the mean streets and alleys of Chicago.
“…piece of mind through a hopefully normal offseason.”
_____________________________________________
Now that is a foreboding sense of approaching tragedy….is the author Irish?
He’s having a lobotomy in December?
Maybe get Trombone Shorty to pitch in. Help him with his slider.
Please don’t take a “piece” of his mind. That said, if a few innings gives him peace of mind, and gets him better set for 2024, then full speed ahead.
Lol Mets,
What could possibly go wrong rushing him back in garbage time?
I decided to throw myself to the wolves. Here’s my take on the new rules.
The changes to MLB have been excellent. The pace of the game with the pitch clock is a pleasure now. I don’t miss pitchers or hitters stepping out and F’ing around. The expanded playoffs have created excitement with 20 or so teams still in the hunt. The relievers having to face three hitters unless finishing an inning was smart. The DH in the NL was inevitable and now it’s done. The increase in stolen bases has been great. The no shift rule has worked as intended. All this has looked seamless as a fan. The game is growing in popularity for the first time in a while. It helps that MLB has so many young stars to market. Manfred deserves some praise here.
And to the regulars here that spew vitriol over things like minor league signings, let the trashing begin!
I have never really had a strong opinion of any of the rules. But the pitch clock really put things in prespective, at least for me. I never really paid attention to how much time some pitchers took. The only one I do have an opinion on is the extra inning rule. I still think MLB is trying to solve a problem that happens maybe 2 or 3 times a year. The pitch clock has reduced downtime by a noticable amount. League wide BABIP is up seven points from last year. Three batter minimum, I could take it or leave it. It’s been around for long enough teams have found ways to work around it, or to use it in their favor by now. But extra inning runner on second? I still think that if they’re going to do something like that, start it in the 13 or 14 inning.
A “piece” of mind is what is lost when a player puts $102 million on the line to play in an absolute meaningless tournament and when an employer allows said player to participate without his signing a waiver agreeing to forfeit his salary during time missed if any injury occurs outside the DIRECT ACTIVITY of his employment.
The WBC directly promotes the game especially MLB. So the notion that it is meaningless or the MLB owners don’t benefit is unequivocally false. It promotes the game on an international level in a format that citizens of participating nations can rally behind. Ultimately it creates fan interest and new fans. And in case you were unaware “fans” are the foundation that keeps the sport profitable and able to continue its existence.
Don’t get too excited. That’s how you got hurt the first time.
He would be a useful trade chip that should bring in a couple of low A players that might help the Mets as they return to contender status in the last half of this century
Mets are playing the long game here.
They are *So* cagey
I understand Diaz and how much he misses pitching , but no need to come back and pitch a couple of games and risk another injury . Sad to say yet again the Mets are not going anywhere, and a true loser Metz fan like myself will keep hoping for next year . But that’s what makes us true fans , being idiots and thinking it’s gonna happen . At least for me , it’s kinda exciting . At the start at least , till the bu——it kicks in and you realize , yeah we still suck . Kinda cursed like the jets and the bills lol . Anyway hope to give someone a good laugh, enjoy the playoffs in a month if your team is in it. Mine won’t be , but I’ll still watch .
Should wait till next year , no need to possibly get hurt again . Season is over , yet again .