Closer Edwin Diaz endured a season filled with numerous ups and downs as he and the New York Mets completed a trip to the 2024 National League Championship Series.
On Tuesday, he spoke with Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News about why he’s optimistic he can reclaim his best form following all that he went through last year.
“I have to continue to keep grinding,” Diaz explained. “I know they will give me the ball. Even if I’m having a bad week or bad two weeks, I’ve got to keep going and compete. That’s something I learned.”
Diaz was arguably the league’s most dominant closer when he earned 2022 Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award honors. He then missed all of the following season due to the torn patellar tendon in his right knee he suffered during the World Baseball Classic, and his velocity in the spring of 2024 was down from what it was in 2022 even before he blew multiple saves in May.
Things went from bad to worse for Diaz when he had to serve an automatic 10-game suspension after a sticky-stuff ejection that occurred in June. While he bounced back from that setback, he later suffered a meltdown against the Atlanta Braves on Sept. 30 before he was rocked in Game 2 of the National League Division Series versus the rival Philadelphia Phillies.
According to Mastracco, Diaz added 10 pounds of muscle to his body this winter in an attempt to “help him recover more effectively between outings and help him get up and down if the Mets need him to.” On Tuesday, he addressed his mindset regarding what he wants to focus on during upcoming spring training games.
“I want to just [go] out and compete,” Diaz said. “I don’t want to go in working on something; I just want to go out and compete because I do have a lot of work before going into the games. So, when I get into games, we’ll treat those games like it’s the early season.”
Diaz can opt out of his contract following the upcoming season. If he goes down such a road, it should mean only good things for the 2025 Mets as it pertains to what they hope to achieve through October.
