The New York Mets may not be World Series contenders in 2024, but they do have a few reasons to be optimistic about a successful season.
One of the main reasons is the return of closer Edwin Diaz.
In 2022, Diaz was the best closer in baseball.
He saved 32 games and finished another 17.
He threw 62.0 innings with 118 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.31.
That was exactly what the Mets were missing last season after the closer suffered a serious knee injury during the World Baseball Classic.
That forced him to miss all of 2023, but he came back this spring looking like the same dominant pitcher.
As shared by SNY, Diaz struck out the side in his spring debut.
WOW.
Edwin Díaz strikes out the side in his spring debut! pic.twitter.com/hdcYVU6wA0
— SNY (@SNYtv) March 11, 2024
It was a great sign for things to come this season.
Having Diaz healthy should allow the Mets to finish many games with wins.
Closing games was a serious issue for them this past season.
Unfortunately, a closer can only impact the game if the rest of the team gets them a lead.
That is why the Mets must find a way to improve their starting pitching.
They lost ace Kodai Senga for at least the first month of the season with a shoulder injury.
Losing Senga leaves plenty of uncertainty around the Mets’ starters.
If they cannot keep the Mets in games, having Diaz on the backend will not matter.
At least the Mets will return most of their top hitters from a season ago.
Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor, and Brandon Nimmo will be atop their lineup in some order.
All of the Mets’ focus should be on finding ways to get Diaz the ball in the ninth inning with a lead.
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