Mets ‘Trevor Bauer Predicted To Replace Diaz As New York Mets Pitcher In 2024
The Mets have an Edwin Diaz problem, and they have no choice but to remove the man they consistently and rightly call “one of the game’s best closers” out of his customary closer role, at least for today.
Timmy Trumpet will have to be playing for a middle reliever or mop-up guy, at least for now.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza termed struggling star Edwin Diaz’s status as closer “fluid” for now. Which is a nice way of saying his chances of pitching the ninth inning in the near term are under water.
Day 1 of the Mets’ new “mix-and-match” plan to close out games was a success, thanks to 2024 bullpen revelation Reed Garrett saving a 7-3 victory over the Marlins and helping avert disaster — a potential sweep to the fire-selling Marlins.
Meantime, Diaz, who’s nobody’s water boy, showed a vastly improved state of mind on the day after the blowup that brought tears and temporarily cost him the marquee bullpen job.
“I feel good, I feel great,” Diaz told The Post after a bullpen session that gave him hope his comeback may come quicker than imagined.
“I talked to them, and we’re on the same page. I’ll just go to work and get my confidence back and be back in my closing job.”
Diaz sounded hopeful it could be a matter of days, but realistically, he’s going to have to show he can get folks out in lower-leverage situations a time or two or more before he reclaims his spot. Until then, the job will probably fall on Garrett — the journeyman turned savior who’s the best story of the Mets season — veteran Adam Ottavino, who was warming up in case in the ninth inning, and maybe one or two others.
Yep, Timmy Trumpet is on hiatus — at least for today. But the Mets believe it isn’t forever. And it better not be.
“We all believe in [Diaz]. We all know he’s going to be back,” Garrett said. “We all know that he’s elite when he’s right. And we know that we’re going to do everything we can to get him right.”
Their pen situation is far from a disaster thanks to solid backup plans (Garrett whiffed four in two scoreless innings after entering a one-run game). But ultimately though, the Mets all know they need Diaz to be right to have a real chance to reach their goal and make the playoffs.
(And yes, for those asking, I’m not retracting my opinion from a couple days ago that the Mets are playoff-bound — although two losses in three games to the worst-in-MLB Marlins doesn’t help.)
The team does have some serious issues, however, and those are undeniable. It certainly isn’t optimal that they are mixing and matching in multiple spots — not just at closer. Here are a few other areas of concern:
1. They aren’t getting much offense from catcher.
Starting catcher Francisco Alvarez is going for a strength test for his injured left thumb Monday, and if all goes well, he may be only a month or slightly more away. That’s big news for a lineup in need of offense.
(And yes, for those asking, I’m not retracting my opinion from a couple days ago that the Mets are playoff-bound — although two losses in three games to the worst-in-MLB Marlins doesn’t help.)
“We all believe in [Diaz]. We all know he’s going to be back,” Garrett said. “We all know that he’s elite when he’s right. And we know that we’re going to do everything we can to get him right.”
Their pen situation is far from a disaster thanks to solid backup plans (Garrett whiffed four in two scoreless innings after entering a one-run game). But ultimately though, the Mets all know they need Diaz to be right to have a real chance to reach their goal and make the playoffs.
