Mets ‘Close’ to Deal With Lefty Reliever: Report

Getty Jake Diekman

After missing out on reliever Wandy Peralta to the San Diego Padres, the New York Mets have set their sights on left-handed reliever Jake Diekman. According to The Athletic’s Will Sammon, the Mets are ‘close to an agreement’ with Diekman, with Andy Martino of SNY reporting that although ‘the sides are not in agreement pending physical at this time,’ there is ‘optimism’ about a deal closing soon.

The Mets will be the ninth team of Diekman’s MLB career, with the 37-year-old having already played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays.

In the 2023 regular season split between the White Sox and Rays, Diekman posted a 3.34 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 64 strikeouts in 56.2 innings, marking his best ERA since 2017 (excluding the shortened 2020 season). His stats quickly improved after he joined the Rays in May, recording a 2.18 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 45.1 innings in Tampa Bay compared to a disappointing 7.94 ERA and 2.12 WHIP to start the season in Chicago.

Diekman handled a number of high-leverage innings during the regular season for the Rays, and posted a perfect 0.00 ERA with 2 strikeouts in his one 2023 postseason appearance.

Diekman’s Projected Contract Value

On February 1, Martino reported that the Mets had offered Diekman a deal for one year plus a vesting option, with a value similar to that they offered to Peralta earlier in the week.

According to Martino, the team offered Peralta a two-year contract plus a club option with a total guarantee in the range of $8-10 million, but he instead signed with the Padres on a four-year, $16.5 million deal. That puts the guaranteed value offered to Diekman at $4-5 million for the 2024 season, which is a substantial increase from his 2023 deal with the Rays (one year, $720K).

The Mets’ Bullpen

It’s no secret the Mets desperately need to bolster their bullpen before 2024.

In 2023, the Mets’ bullpen ranked 22nd in MLB with a disappointing 4.45 ERA, and despite being linked to multiple free agent relievers, they’re yet to make any game-changing improvements this winter. New York re-signed Adam Ottavino to a one-year, $4.5 million deal on January 27 after he originally declined the option on his contract at the end, but even though he led Mets’ relievers in strikeouts in 2023, his return still only puts the team in the same position they were in last year.

Having missed on Peralta, adding Diekman is a budget-friendly option to start changing things up in the bullpen. Diekman is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, despite an extremely slow start in Chicago, and if he can keep up the momentum he built in Tampa Bay, the Mets will be getting a bargain.

After an extremely underwhelming season last year, the Mets have a lot to prove going into 2024. The team have signed three starting pitchers this winter — Luis Severino, Sean Manaea, and Adrian Houser — and prioritizing relievers is the obvious next step before Opening Day.

Perhaps a comeback is on the horizon in New York.