Mets cut Jake Diekman amid bullpen makeover
New York Mets relief pitcher Jake Diekman against Atlanta during the ninth inning at Citi Field on July 26, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Less than a week after Jake Diekman’s one shining moment with the Mets, they cut the struggling lefthander from the roster altogether Monday, the latest step in their in-season bullpen makeover.
Diekman was designated for assignment after posting a 5.63 ERA in 43 appearances. He spent much of the season as the Mets’ top lefty reliever after they lost Brooks Raley for the year because of an elbow injury.
They gave him plenty of chances to figure it out but — four months into the season — ran out of patience.
“Not an easy one, especially when you’re dealing with a guy like Diek, who has been here since Day One of spring training all the way to this point, been in the big leagues for a long time,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “He was such a professional. He was always willing to take the baseball. And when it was hard for him, going through his struggles, he was always available. He always wanted to be there.
“But we got to a point where we needed to make a decision. We’re a little thin back there. We decided to go that route.”
Needing a rested reliever, the Mets called up lefthander Matt Gage from Triple-A Syracuse. He is a 31-year-old rookie acquired from the Dodgers for cash this month. He has made 16 major-league appearances with the Blue Jays and Astros. In Triple-A this year, he has a 3.42 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings.
Gage joins Danny Young and Alex Young as southpaws in the bullpen.
The Mets have until the trade deadline at 6 p.m. Tuesday to bring in a more proven lefthanded reliever from another team.
With Raley hurt and Diekman gone, who is the Mets’ top lefthander?
“Uhhh, anybody,” Mendoza said. “We got three of ‘em. We’ll continue to mix and match . . . I feel comfortable with any of those guys getting three outs at any time.”
Danny Young, a minor-league signing in the offseason, entered the week with a 3.50 ERA in 19 games. Alex Young, claimed off waivers from the Giants less than two weeks ago, has a 0.00 ERA in four games.
Mendoza cited Young’s changeup, which he has thrown more than ever (50% of the time) since joining the Mets, as the primary reason for his success.
“The changeup plays,” Mendoza said. “His ability to throw it at any time throughout an at-bat in any situation, to get swing-and-misses and to get ground balls as well.”
The Mets signed Diekman, 37, to a one-year, $4 million contract in February. That included a $4 million option for 2025 that would have vested if Diekman appeared in 58 games. Now, that piece is irrelevant to the Mets.
Diekman ranks tied for second on the team with four saves. The last of those came last Tuesday against the Yankees, when he struck out Aaron Judge looking for the penultimate out. Judge was the potential winning run.
Of the eight relievers on the Mets’ Opening Day roster, two remain: Edwin Diaz (3.94 ERA and at points suspended, injured and removed from his closer role) and Adam Ottavino (4.66 ERA).
“It’s been a little bit of a challenge, to be honest with you,” Mendoza said, citing each guy’s ability to pitch consecutive days and/or multiple innings and ability to recover as key variables. “There’s a lot to learn here from a lot of these guys that you’re not familiar with.”
Alvarez out with sore shoulder
Francisco Alvarez was out of the lineup against the Twins because of a sore left shoulder that has bothered him for a few days. Mendoza said it is “not at all” related to his collision with Atlanta’s Ramon Laureano in the third-base line last week.
“We just want to monitor his workload,” Mendoza said. “If I need him during the game, he’ll be available. But if I could stay away from him, I think he would benefit from not swinging a bat or just limiting some of the physical activity there.”
Extra bases
In his lineup debut, Jesse Winker batted fifth, breaking up righthanded hitters Pete Alonso and Mark Vientos. “That’s why we brought him here,” Mendoza said. He also played rightfield, which he has done far less than left this year and in his career. He hadn’t started in the outfield at all since June, so the Mets will have to monitor his workload, according to Mendoza . . . Dedniel Nunez (right forearm strain) has not begun throwing . . . Alonso did an on-camera interview in Spanish. Mendoza, who did not know Alonso could do that, was walking by but stopped to watch, flabbergasted. "Now you know," Alonso told him afterward. "The cat's out of the bag.”
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
