Edwin Diaz (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
It’s been a patchwork job from David Stearns, but the New York Mets continued accruing bullpen options on Friday when they signed relievers Jake Diekman and Shintaro Fujinami to one-year deals.
For a team that only had three controllable, viable bullpen options heading into the offseason, the Mets are attempting to take the salvaging route by bringing on high-upside options to bolster their stable of relievers for 2024.
Considerable uncertainties remain, which means new manager Carlos Mendoza could find himself keeping some late-inning responsibilities fluid. But this is how we see the back end of New York’s bullpen stacking up this season.
Fujinami will likely serve as a middle reliever considering how much he struggled in his first year in the majors after a successful decade in Japan. He posted a 7.18 ERA with the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles while struggling with control, walking 5.1 batters per nine innings.
Closer: Edwin Diaz
This is the only role of the Mets’ bullpen that is bolted to the floor — and rightfully so.
Diaz was the best reliever in baseball in 2022, striking out more than half of the batters he faced (118 strikeouts, 235 batters faced) while posting a 1.31 ERA and 32 saves. His 2023 campaign was derailed before it even began after he suffered a torn patellar tendon in his knee during the World Baseball Classic in March.
While his rehab was ahead of schedule, allowing the Mets to flirt with a return to the mound toward the end of last year, a team that was out of the playoff race meant there was no need to rush him back. Instead, he had a full offseason to ramp up and should be good to go without issue.
Set-Up Man: Adam Ottavino
An unlikely reunion came to fruition toward the end of January when Ottavino re-signed on a one-year, $4.5 million deal. He initially turned down a player option in his contract following 2023 citing the uncertainty of the team’s…
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