The New York Mets entered spring training hoping for stability at the back of their bullpen, with Edwin Díaz returning to full health after an eventful last two seasons.
In his first Grapefruit League outing of the year against the Houston Astros, however, the closer looked rather erratic.
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
A Rollercoaster Return
Díaz was baseball’s most dominant reliever in 2022, posting an electric 1.31 ERA while striking out 118 in 62 innings pitched. The campaign earned him an All-Star nod, and he cemented himself as the most important piece of the Mets’ bullpen in a 101-win season. A freak injury in the World Baseball Classic sidelined him for the entirety of 2023, however, forcing New York to navigate a year without their most significant late-game weapon.
His 2024 campaign was a step toward normalcy—he wasn’t quite the Díaz of old, but he was still effective, posting a 3.52 ERA in 53 2/3 innings while striking out 84.
Entering this spring, the expectation was that Díaz would continue trending upward, but his command and velocity have been inconsistent thus far.
Early Struggles
Díaz’s outing was a struggle, as he failed to control his fastball and left too many pitches over the plate. Of his 19 pitches, only 10 landed in the strike zone. Brendan Rodgers punished one of those mistakes with a 107.7 mph double, and Jacob Melton followed with a sharply hit ground ball single that effectively chased Díaz from the game. The right-hander allowed two runs on two hits and a walk, recording just one out.
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza noted after the game that the right-hander simply wasn’t himself.
“He was off,” Mendoza said bluntly. “Talking to him, he said he felt good physically, so no issues there.”
For Díaz, the inconsistency seems to stem from eagerness rather than any lingering injury concerns.
“I think I was a little excited today,” Díaz admitted. “I just have to ball out tomorrow, work … Today, I didn’t do my job, but that’s part of the game.”
Mendoza elaborated on what he saw from his closer’s mechanics.
“You could tell from the very first hitter that he was missing glove side,” Mendoza said. “Missing wild, pretty much.”
Diaz also noted he was “cutting his fastball” — another sign that his mechanics might be out of sync as he works to find his rhythm.
Cause for Concern?
Spring training results are often misleading, particularly for established veterans using these games to merely fine-tune mechanics. Still, Díaz’s lack of control is worth monitoring. His success has always hinged on the combination of triple-digit velocity and a wipeout slider — but without execution, neither weapon holds much value.
Díaz will surely see another opportunity to take the mound soon with a chance to put this outing behind him. For now, the Mets will remain hopeful that these struggles are nothing more than early rust. Despite the rough spring debut, he’ll remain the Mets’ closer—his performance would need to be absolutely disastrous for them to consider a change. But with expectations high for 2025, they’ll be watching closely to see if Díaz can regain his elite form.
