![]() ![]() Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and Safety Information / Your California Privacy Rights are applicable to you. ^ Back to Top ^ © 2023 ESPN Internet Ventures. And he's become a fan favorite in New York, with the hit song "Narco," by Australian musician Timmy Trumpet, played at Citi Field every time he exits the bullpen before an appearance. In his debut season in the Big Apple, he had a 5.59 ERA (seventh worst among relievers), 15 homers allowed and -0.6 bWAR in 58 innings, as Mets fans routinely booed him while on the mound.ĭiaz has righted the ship since, culminating with the dominant 2022. Diaz had starred in Seattle, leading the majors with 57 saves in 2018 - which tied Bobby Thigpen (1990) for the second most in a single season in baseball history, trailing only Francisco Rodriguez's 62 in 2008.īut his early tenure in New York was anything but successful. Keeping Diaz, 28, is a massive move for the Mets to start the offseason, as one of baseball's top free agents is now off the board.ĭiaz was part of a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Mariners in December 2018, one that saw him and veteran second baseman Robinson Cano go to the Mets for a prospect-heavy package. New York's bullpen finished 10th in the majors in ERA, and its top relievers in innings pitched (Adam Ottavino, Seth Lugo, Trevor Williams and Diaz) were among the 131 players across the major leagues who were declared free agents Sunday, the day after the 2022 season ended. The Diaz deal is the first nine-figure contract ever for a closer, and for the first time, it takes the position into the $20 million-plus range.ĭiaz, who made $10 million this year, earned the big payday after a dominant 2022 season that saw him finish with 32 saves, a 1.31 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 62 innings for a Mets team that won 101 games. There's an opt-out and a full no-trade clause plus a sixth-year option in the contract, sources said. Star closer Edwin Diaz and the New York Mets are in agreement on a five-year, $102 million contract, pending a physical, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Sunday. Sources: Edwin Diaz, Mets agree to 5-year, $102 million deal Díaz issues precious few walks (2.4 per nine innings), and only the sporadic home run-he’s allowed three-allows hitters even a shred of hope.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser That would be the second-best in MLB history, a shade behind Craig Kimbrel’s 2012 with the Atlanta Braves. His fielding independent pitching number, an ERA analog that strips out everything but the strikeouts, walks, and home runs a pitcher directly controls, is 0.82. If Díaz stayed there all season, it’d be the highest single-season figure in the recorded history of the majors, according to Stathead (minimum 40 innings). He is striking hitters out at a rate of 18.1 per nine innings. Louis Cardinals’ Ryan Helsey at 0.79) Where Díaz stands apart from everyone else is in how purely unhittable he is on an at-bat to at-bat basis. Raw earned-run average doesn’t quite capture it, as Díaz’s 1.39 figure is of course excellent but does not even lead the league this year. ![]() But in a vacuum, Díaz in the first four months of the 2022 season has arguably been the most dominant pitcher in Major League Baseball’s history. That Rivera and Hoffman managed such longevity (19 seasons for Rivera, 18 for Hoffman) is why they were so special. Nothing lasts forever, and in the life of a closer, greatness can last about 13 seconds. In yet another feat, he even makes it hard not to feel fuzzy about the Mets. There will never be another Rivera, but at least in the entrance music department, Díaz has given Flushing a great answer to the Bronx legend. He is intoxicating to watch and, in a different way, intoxicating to try to hit. In another way, he is the opposite of a throwback, because there have been very few pitchers who can approximate what Díaz has been doing in 2022. In one way, Díaz harkens back to a time of cult-hero closers who became their own baseball brands on the strength of not just performance, but vibes. The whole experience is enamoring, both because of what’s old and what’s new about it. Thousands of fans hold up their phone cameras and clap along, united by great brass and the knowledge that they are about to watch a world-class artist whose brushes are a wipeout slider and a 99-mile-per-hour fastball. The 2022 All-Star selection put up a 1.31 ERA for the Mets. Met mime into their own trumpets as they stand on top of a dugout. Diaz, 29, signed a five-year, 102 million contract with the Mets this offseason, making him the highest-paid closer in league history. I cannot imagine the shivers it must create in person. It is an emotional event to watch a Díaz entrance at Citi Field on one’s phone.
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