Mets pitcher Edwin Diaz. (Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports)
The New York Mets second-half collapse caused them to miss out on the postseason. Here are three players that the team can’t move on from, even though it would benefit them.
The New York Mets fanbase had hope ahead of the 2021 season. The Wilpon Family no longer owned the team and Steve Cohen was hellbent on building a winning organization.
Things got off to a strong start, as they held the NL East lead for the majority of the first half of the season. Yet, the team nosedived after the All-Star break and have missed out on the postseason for the fifth-consecutive year. Now, the Mets will look at what went wrong at the conclusion of the regular-season and look to build upon it.
There are some bad contracts on the team that you would imagine the Mets would like to get rid of, but it is not feasible. But, here are three players that you would think the team would like to part ways from. It is important to note that they are not going to happen, but we will be looking at it from a fantasy baseball perspective and off their performances with the team.
3. Edwin Diaz, RP
When Brodie Van Wagenen was the general manager of the Mets, he pulled off a trade with the Seattle Mariners for closer Edwin Diaz. At the time, Diaz was one of the top closers in the game, so it looked like a win for New York.
It was not.
Diaz struggled in his first season with the team, as he carried a 5.59 ERA through 66 games in the 2019 season. The 2020 campaign showed that there was some improvement from Diaz, as he recorded a 1.75 ERA through 26 appearances, but recorded six saves on 10 opportunities. This season (as of this writing), Diaz owns a 3.56 ERA, a 5-6 record and 30 saves on 36 chances.
The thing with Diaz is that he is not locked into a long-term contract. To be specific, he is entering the final year of arbitration with the Mets. Considering his struggles throughout his tenure in Queens, it will be hard to find a trade partner for Diaz, especially since he is set to hit free agency at the conclusion of the 2022 season.