
Speaking to the media at Citi Field during the inaugural New York Mets Fan Fest, new Mets manager Luis Rojas said he is not yet committing to a set closer for the 2020 season.
According to Tim Ryder of MetsMerized, who is at Citi Field covering the event, Rojas doesn’t want to start defining roles just yet.
The Mets have a few options to close out games if everyone is healthy: Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia and the recently acquired Dellin Betances.
Diaz, 25, was one of the best closing pitchers in baseball in 2018, pitching to a 1.96 ERA, 1.61 FIP, 208 ERA+ and a 0.791 WHIP. The right-hander made his first All-Star team, finished No. 8 in Cy Young voting and No. 18 in American League MVP voting.
The Puerto Rico native was then acquired by the Mets in the 2018-19 offseason in a package that also netted them second baseman Robinson Cano, but saw them part ways with top outfield prospect Jarred Kelenic and former first round pick Justin Dunn.
Diaz couldn’t follow up his strong 2018 with the same success in 2019, as he had an abysmal 5.59 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 73 ERA+, 1.379 WHIP and -0.6 rWAR.
However, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen said earlier this month that he believes a bounce back year is in the cards for the reliever. Diaz has reportedly made mechanical adjustments this winter and even worked with new Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who worked with Diaz down in Puerto Rico.
Diaz also put this video up on his Twitter account to highlight some of the work he’s been doing:
Let’s go @Mets ready for 2020🙏🏾🇵🇷 pic.twitter.com/Or6tnnxyCN
— Edwin Diaz (@SugarDiaz39) January 24, 2020
Diaz has also been working with former Met and Hall-of-Fame pitcher Pedro Martinez this winter, according to SNY.
“We remained in contact all offseason,” Diaz said through a translator Saturday. “I would send him videos, he would send me videos and feedback.”
Familia, 30, was re-signed by the Mets last winter to provide them with a setup man for Diaz, but he too faltered. The longtime Met had an equally disastrous campaign, putting up a 5.70 ERA, 4.88 FIP, 71 ERA+, 1.733 WHIP and had -0.4 rWAR.
Last month, however, it was reported that Familia had dropped 20 lbs. this winter.
“To me, that shows me that he wants to prove himself this year,” then-manager Carlos Beltran said regarding his weight loss. “There’s no doubt that he wants to get back to the Familia that we all know.”
The right-hander has two-years and $20 million left on his contract.
Betances, 31, was signed this winter to fortify the Mets bullpen, the one caveat though is that he is coming off an injury plagued season.
The New York native has spent the last eight-seasons with the Mets’ crosstown rival New York Yankees, but agreed on a one-year deal with the Mets that includes a couple player options to rebuild his value.
The right-hander appeared in just one game for the Yankees in 2019, but has a career ERA of 2.36 and a 2.31 career FIP in his career pitching in the back end of the Bombers bullpen.
Realistically, the Mets will likely have a guy they lean on most as the season gets into the meat and potatoes, but it should be interesting in Spring Training to see how these three, who all have something to prove, perform.





