MIAMI — Mets manager Carlos Mendoza called struggling star Edwin Diaz’s status as a closer “fluid” for now. That’s a nice way of saying there’s a potential for him to pitch nine innings in the near future.
The first day of the Mets’ new “mix-and-match” plan to close out games was a success. Reed Garrett’s 2024 bullpen revelation helped him salvage a 7-3 victory over the Marlins and avoid a catastrophe (a potential firefight) that would sell the Marlins.
Meanwhile, Diaz, no waterboy, showed much improvement in his mental state the day after the explosion that brought him to tears and temporarily cost him his bullpen job.
“I feel good, great,” Diaz told the Post after the bullpen session. That gave her hope that she might be able to return sooner than she imagined.
“I’ve talked to them and we’re on the same page. Just go to work, get your confidence back and get back to your last job.”
Diaz sounded hopeful that it might be a matter of a few days, but realistically, it could take one or two or more times to get people out in low-leverage situations before regaining the position. You’ll need to prove it. Until then, that job will probably go to Garrett (the Mets’ best story of the season, the journeyman-turned-savior), veteran Adam Ottavino, who was warming up for the ninth inning, and perhaps one other. It will probably take a person or two.
Yes, Timmy Trumpet is on hiatus, at least for today. But the Mets believe that won’t be the case forever. And it’s better not to be.
“We all believe [Diaz]. We all know he’s coming back,” Garrett said. “We all know he’s elite when he’s right. And we know we’re going to do everything we can to get him right.”
Thanks to a solid backup plan, their defensive situation is far from dire (Garrett struck out four in two scoreless innings after entering the game trailing by one run). But ultimately, the Mets all know Diaz is the right fit to have a real chance of achieving their goals and making the playoffs.
(And yes, for those who ask, I’m not going to retract my opinion from a few days ago that the Mets are in playoff contention. That said, two losses in three games to the last-place Marlins in MLB did help.) do not have.)
However, the team has some serious issues, there’s no denying that. Admittedly, it is not optimal to have them mixed and matched in multiple locations, not just nearby. There are several other areas of concern.
1. They don’t get much offense from catchers.
Starting catcher Francisco Alvarez is scheduled to undergo strength testing on his injured left thumb on Monday, which could be another month or a little longer if all goes well. This is big news for the batting lineup, which needs offensive power.
For the time being, I would like to expect Tomas Nido and Omar Narváez to improve their offensive power. This seems to be a message to Narváez, as Nido has been playing the vast majority of minutes, even though he was in the minors before Alvarez was injured three weeks ago.
In any case, the most damage the two ever did was when Nido inadvertently hit Phillies star Bryce Harper in the corner of his helmet with a throwback to a pitcher (Harper was suffering from a migraine). (he missed the next game).
2. Third base is a platoon tryout.
In a twist, Brett Batty played quite differently than his scouting report, as he defended his position well but showed little power. That led to the second promotion of Mark Vientos, who looks to be more of a threat. On the offensive side of the equation, they are in the bottom third in every slashing line category, so Vientos seems better off playing.
3. Former batting champion Jeff McNeil ranks last in the league in barrel percentage.
Both he and Mendoza confidently professed that their bats have improved recently. But he still doesn’t resemble the guy who once hit so hard that he won a car from his double-play partner Francisco Lindor with that hit. By the way, his barrel rate is 0.7, which ranks him 166th out of 166 MLB players.
Four. Francisco Lindor is not himself yet
Although he’s been playing through illness (more than a quarter of the team is suffering from flu-like symptoms), Lindor, like Pete Alonso, has played in almost any situation. He said he’s feeling 95 percent right now, and even though he’s optimistic — he’s a naturally sunny guy, nicknamed Mr. Smile — sincere — coach Mendoza gave him leadoff a few days ago. Since moving to the position, he has shown positive signs.
The Mets scored 16 points over the weekend, which could be a good sign. (They may be playing the Marlins.)
“Two days,” Mendoza said. “But I like how I’ve been doing the last few days.”
Through illness (J.D. Martinez was sidelined Sunday after suffering all weekend) and loss, the Mets have been able to maintain a surprisingly optimistic outlook. There’s still a lot to resolve, but I’ll stay right there with them on this point.
