Where do the Mets go from here with Edwin Díaz taking a temporary leave from his closer’s role to find his mojo?
After Díaz’s latest meltdown in Saturday’s 10-9 extra inning loss to the Miami Marlins, — in which he faced five batters and allowed four hits, including a game-tying three run home run off the bat of Marlins first baseman Josh Bell — manager Carlos Mendoza indicated that the team will be turning to other relievers in save situations while looking to get Diaz to return to his previous dominant form through low leverage appearances.
Among the most likely candidates in the bullpen to receive the bulk of save opportunities are Reed Garrett, Adam Ottavino and Jorge Lopez. Both Ottavino and Lopez have closing experience, while Garrett has emerged this season as one of the best relievers in all of baseball, posting a 0.72 E.R.A. across 25 innings, including two shutout innings in Sunday’s win over the Marlins to earn the save.
After missing the entirety of the 2023 season due to a tear in the patellar tendon in his right knee, Díaz is still looking to return to his dominant 2022 form, when he posted a 1.31 E.R.A. and saved 32 games in 35 opportunities. Díaz has failed to preserve a Mets lead in four of his last five appearances in the ninth inning, including each of his last three appearances.
“At the end of the day, Edwin is a huge part of this team,” Mendoza said Sunday. “For us to get to where we want to get, we’re going to need Edwin Díaz to be himself. Right now, he’s going through a rough stretch, and it’s our job to get him back on track.”
"He'll do whatever it takes to help this team win a baseball game, whether that's pitching in the 7th, the 8th, the 9th"
Carlos Mendoza says it's on the Mets to figure out how to get Edwin Díaz on track and get through this tough stretch pic.twitter.com/P0LfuLzmv0
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 19, 2024
The velocity on Díaz’s fastball and slider have both been noticeably down so far this season, compared to 2022. His fastball has dropped 2.2 miles per hour and his slider is down 1.8 miles per hour.
Additionally, he has had problems locating his fastball, causing him to fall behind hitters more often and making him more hesitant to throw it. He has also been leaving his slider in the middle of the zone more often, giving opposing hitters easy pitches to hit.
This was a big problem for Díaz in 2019, when he allowed 15 home runs and posted a 5.59 ERA, both career-worsts.
Perhaps the most troubling sign for Díaz has been his loss of self-confidence. He admitted to reporters after Saturday’s loss that he has lost some of that self-confidence in the wake of his recent struggles. After working his way up from being the ire of the Mets fanbase in his first season with the team in 2019 to one of the most beloved players in 2022, Díaz has shown just how much his confidence level can affect his pitching ability.
Edwin Díaz says his confidence is "down" after recent struggles:
"I'm trying to do my best to help the team to win. Right now, I'm not in that capacity." pic.twitter.com/WQCIdDsDoV
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 18, 2024
Through the ups and downs, Díaz has not shied away from wearing his heart on his sleeve. This was most evident in the clubhouse Saturday after he finished speaking to reporters.
According to SNY’s Steve Gelbs, Díaz broke down in tears as he sat at his locker, with teammates Francisco Lindor and Sean Reid-Foley coming over to console him.
"Díaz sat down and all the emotion came out"@SteveGelbs reports on the scene in the clubhouse after yesterday's game with Edwin Díaz and how the Mets are looking to instill the confidence back in him
"The Mets still believe the Edwin Díaz of old is in there" pic.twitter.com/EwxOHiJZFd
— SNY (@SNYtv) May 19, 2024
As much as the Mets organization and fanbase want to see Díaz rebound back into being arguably the best closer in the game, nobody wants that to happen more than Diaz. The team is hopeful that by getting him mentally and emotionally right, Díaz will be physically right.
