His last couple of outings notwithstanding, David Robertson has done a great job as the Mets’ closer this year. However, there’s been a tremendously large Edwin Diaz-sized hole in manager Buck Showalter’s bullpen since his World Baseball Classic injury. Could that hole be filled by his brother, Reds closer Alexis Diaz?
That would be an ideal scenario. It’s also something the Mets have been preparing to pursue, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post:
According to a source, Mets scouts have been tracking Reds star closer Alexis Diaz, who is 14-for-14 in saves. The Mets’ biggest issue is an underperforming offense. But relief depth is probably issue No. 2, and adding a closer to combine with David Robertson — especially Edwin Diaz’s brother — would be huge.
No trade talk yet, but the resurgent Reds would seek young pitching back.
As Heyman notes, the Mets’ offense has plenty of problems of its own. That’s especially the case if slugger Pete Alonso is on the injured list for a prolonged period of time. But the hope there is players who contributed last year, combined with Francisco Alvarez and the rest of the Baby Mets, will pick up the slack. Eventually.
Instead of going after established MLB relief arms like Matt Moore or Andrew Chaflin over the winter, general manager Billy Eppler opted for “optionable arms” to fill out New York’s bullpen depth chart. As Mike Mayer of Metsmerized points out, that hasn’t worked out well:
The Mets said they were going to focus on "optionable arms" instead of simply acquiring the best players available.
Then, ran out of depth and ended up acquiring a few arms without options that turned out to not be good.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) June 9, 2023
For an organization already spending $350-plus million for the on-field product, it would’ve been nice to see another legitimate arm get added to the bullpen. That looks even more obvious in hindsight.
So, cue the trumpets for Edwin’s brother, right? He’s a pitcher the Mets have been interested in for a while. They tried to pry him away from Cincinnati at last summer’s trade deadline, but it didn’t work out. It’s hard to see how it’ll be any easier this year based on how New York has played, the prospect capital they have to offer, and what Cincy would want in return.
The right-handed hurler is currently playing through his second big-league season, and it’s been even more impressive than his rookie campaign. He posted a 1.84 ERA and 1.0 fWAR with a 32.5% strikeout rate in 63.2 innings in 2022. Through just 24.1 frames this year, he’s produced a 1.48 ERA with 1.5 fWAR and a 48.9% strikeout rate. Oh, and he’s also 14-for-14 in save opportunities.
Alexis Díaz wanted to close out this ballgame.
Elite. pic.twitter.com/ceGP1hUwJ5
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) May 13, 2023
Adding him to the Mets’ bullpen would obviously be a much-needed boost. But, there are plenty of reasons why I doubt it will come to fruition prior to the deadline. Here are three:
What the Reds want…and what the Mets are willing to give up. Heyman notes the Reds would want young pitching in return. Of the Mets’ top-10 prospects (according to MLB.com), only Dominic Hamel (no. 6) and Mike Vasil (no. 8) are above Single-A. There are five total hurlers within their top 10, but New York didn’t enter 2023 with pitching being a strength in its farm system.
Maybe the Reds value someone like David Peterson or Tylor Megill, but that alone obviously wouldn’t get the job done. Plus, let’s not forget that the Mets don’t like trading away top prospects because they’re trying to rebuild that area of the organization.
So, what will be more important: trading away multiple players for someone who can help them right now (and into the future), or going for lesser options that won’t cost as much?
Reds are on the upswing. I saw Heyman refer to the Reds as “resurgent” and I made a face. But it’s not just Elly De La Cruz that’s making waves. Sure, they’re 29-34, but Cincy is only five games out of first place and four games behind the final NL Wild Card spot. If they’re still within striking distance at the deadline, why would they trade away their elite closer?
Cincy is in no rush to deal. Alexis Diaz isn’t even arbitration-eligible yet and won’t hit free agency until 2028. For a small-market team like the Reds, this is the time to have these kinds of elite players on their roster. To convince them to trade him, New York will need to offer a Godfather-like deal that they can’t possibly pass up.
Based on how the Mets have operated since Steve Cohen took over, it’s hard to see a scenario where they overpay. If he even becomes legitimately available.
Things aren’t good for the Mets right now, no matter how proud Showalter is of his club. But you’d have to think there’s no way ownership is just going to sit back and watch an incredibly expensive dumpster fire continue to burn. Whether people start losing their jobs or roster changes are made, something has to happen.
It’d be huge to have Alexis Diaz in the bullpen, especially once Edwin returns from the injured list. But it’s hard to see that happening right now for all the reasons listed above. Someone along the lines of Aroldis Chapman from the Kansas City Royals seems like a more likely scenario than anything else.
You can reach Matt Musico at matt.musico@xlmedia.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
