The New York Mets are reportedly close to a deal in MLB free agency with reliever Jake Diekman, per Will Sammon of The Athletic. New York has placed an emphasis on adding depth this offseason, whether it’s been in the bullpen, starting rotation, or in the lineup. Diekman will certainly provide bullpen depth.
The 37-year-old left-handed reliever has previously pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, and Arizona Diamondbacks.
He most recently pitched for Tampa Bay and Chicago in 2023, pitching to a 3.34 ERA across 63 games. However, 50 of those contests came with the Rays, and Diekman recorded a 2.18 ERA in Tampa Bay. He is clearly still capable of performing at a high level and should be a quality bullpen upgrade for New York if this deal comes to fruition.
There is reason to believe that Diekman could finish the 2024 season with another superb ERA as well. With Tampa Bay in 2023, Diekman recorded an impressive 28.7 percent strikeout rate and walked just 13.5 percent of the hitters he faced, per Baseball Reference. He also held hitters to a .518 OPS.
He did struggle in limited action with the White Sox. The Mets are banking on Diekman pitching in similar fashion to how he performed with the Rays. If he’s able to pitch at that level for a full season in New York, Diekman will emerge as one of baseball’s best relievers.
The Mets are an intriguing team at the moment. They still have star-power but have done an impressive job of adding depth and addressing necessary roster questions. Although it hasn’t been an overly-exciting offseason for the team, this ball club has the potential to rebound and make a postseason run.
