Mets' Starling Marte, Edwin Diaz should have say in returns
Mets rightfielder Starling Marte reacts after striking out to end the third inning against the Giants at Citi Field on July 2. Credit: Brad Penner
Starling Marte repeatedly played through the pain in his groin, battled migraines with no knowledge of when one would strike again and watched his production dip — thereby becoming one of the many things people point at when they talk about this failed Mets season.
Edwin Diaz suffered a catastrophic injury in the World Baseball Classic — one that Buck Showalter said would have ended his career if he bounced a basketball for a living instead of throwing a baseball.
“It was an emotional injury,” Showalter said of the complete tear of his right patellar tendon. “You do something like that and you go, ‘OK, it’s something I’ve been doing my whole life getting ready to be taken from me.’ ”
Pete Alonso has often said this season has been the most frustrating of his major-league career.
When people tell the story of the Mets’ 2023, they’ll rightfully concentrate on the inflated payroll, the squandered promise and the franchise-shifting trade deadline. But while we sit and watch one meaningless game after another, it’s good, too, to imagine the psychological toll this season has taken on players who likely will be part of the 2024 season.
So while it’s easy to say that Marte should be shut down this season, even if he gets back to full health, or that Diaz shouldn’t be anywhere near a game if his rehab continues apace, there’s more to the equation.
For the record, I do think both should be shelved this year: Marte, who has played only two games since July 16, just received an injection in his surgically repaired groin, has no timeline for his return and said Monday that he’ll need a rehab assignment if he’s going to play again this season. Diaz is “throwing downhill,” according to Showalter, and a 2023 return may be feasible, but “it’s not at the point where he’s close enough to debate [whether it’s a good idea] yet.”
Many fans would be just fine with a “see you next year” to both, especially considering how this season has highlighted their respective values. Frankly, it also would behoove the Mets to play it (very) safe with Brandon Nimmo and his quadriceps injury.
But, if possible, the decision should be informed by each player’s desires.
“It’s been tough not being out there after having a career where you’re pretty much playing every single day,” Marte said Monday. “I think the biggest value is for me to be there — be outside watching the game and being one of those veteran leaders talking to the young guys and pointing out what they can do better and how to approach the game at a daily level.”
Failure has permeated every level of Citi Field, and the effect has been notable in the clubhouse. On Friday, the pool table had a cover on it. The Ping-Pong table stayed silent. The shuffleboard table was static.
While no one in the media should pretend to know what really goes on in the clubhouse, the parts we see — 50 minutes pregame and whatever happens postgame — have been aptly funereal, and it’s been that way since the trade deadline.
That makes sense. It’s not fun to be the Mets right now, and a clubhouse conga line after, say, a 21-3 loss to Atlanta wouldn’t exactly be a good look.
But while real victories will be few and far between, it’s a good idea to create an environment in which moral victories are at least attainable.
On paper, pitching a healthy Diaz this year isn’t a good idea. But does the thinking change if Diaz would prefer not to spend the offseason wondering if he can truly execute on a major-league mound again?
Does Marte, whose range in the outfield has decreased as he battled the nagging injury, need to go into October knowing that he can chase down balls with the speed and agility that has long been a hallmark of his tool set?
“You find out what’s more important,” Showalter said. “Do you want to go the whole offseason not knowing? Are you 100% sure? I understand the argument both ways. I know how I feel personally about it, but it could change. The medical people or Starling could come to me and say, ‘I really want to see how this is before I go in the offseason.’ ”
The truth is, 2024 is nebulous at best. Steve Cohen and Billy Eppler have given the roughest of blueprints: They’ll be competitive, they said, but they may not be as impressive on paper as they were at the beginning of this season. And really, who knows how “competitive” competitive will be?
It’s a lot of unknowns for the fans to deal with, yes, but that’s true for the players first and foremost.
If Diaz and Marte are healthy and very much want to find a measure of clarity that a 2023 trial will give them, then maybe it’s OK to consider letting them have it.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.