From the moment spring training began, everyone was excited to see the return of New York Mets closer Edwin Díaz. And what do you know, he appeared to still be the sharp, electric closer in the game. Well, guess what, at this current point in the 2024 Major League Baseball regular season, all that excitement has gone straight out the window.
Díaz, who’s back from a torn patellar tendon injury that caused him to miss all of the 2023 season, has now blown three consecutive saves and has not looked like the same player he was in 2022. His most recent blown save was on Saturday, May 18, a game in which the Mets lost to the Miami Marlins after they had a 7-2 lead. It was also the first time Díaz pitched in the Marlins ballpark after suffering the injury during the 2o23 World Baseball Classic in that same field. That’s got to have many people not just heartbroken but concerned for the 30-year-old right-hander. Let’s talk about his current struggles and why it’s concerning for himself and the team.
Edwin Díaz’s Current Struggles Should Spark a High Level of Concern
Blown Saves
Again, Díaz has blown three saves in a row now. Two of them have cost the Mets those games. The Mets were lucky enough to win one of those three and that was an 11-inning nail-biter against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, May 16. It’s gut-wrenching when a closer blows a save, but to have a guy like Díaz do it multiple times in a week is a killer, no doubt about that.
As soon as the Marlins tied the game on Saturday with a Josh Bell three-run home run, Mets announcers Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez expressed their thoughts and opinions about the whole thing. They addressed the important question of whether or not Díaz is capable of having the closer role moving forward. That’s exactly what all fans should think about right now. If Díaz isn’t going to perform well to a point where the Mets are going to keep losing games that they should be winning, that’s when Carlos Mendoza has to pull the trigger and find someone else. That’s not to say that Díaz can’t even be in the bullpen as another reliever, but he shouldn’t be closing if he doesn’t get it together. This is three times now, and Saturday’s 10-9 loss in Miami was a kick in the teeth, as described by the Mets announcers.
His Future
Now, let’s look ahead into the future for a little bit. We know Díaz’s injury was something that required surgery and a lengthy recovery period. However, despite that all happening over a year ago, it should still be a concern about the future for Díaz. Throughout the last few game appearances, he hasn’t been able to properly locate some of his pitches, especially the slider and fastball. A couple of years ago that was a completely different story. He has to be able to keep control and command of his pitches. So, the point of why his future is in question is because what if, let’s say, a year or two goes by and he is still having trouble? Could that indicate that he’s unable to pitch well anymore? It’s very likely, and that’s honestly very scary.
How Does Díaz feel About This Situation?
After Saturday’s game, Díaz said in an interview that his confidence is down after experiencing his recent struggles. He said he is doing the best he can to help the team win, and he isn’t in that capacity right now. So, he is concerned about himself too. We’ll pay close attention to him and Mendoza to find out what exactly the result will be in terms of closing out games in the future.
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