The New York Mets have turned their campaign around and are firmly in playoff contention as just days before the trade deadline; the blue and orange sit at 55-50 and in the final Wild Card spot.
Regardless of the Mets’ record this season, president of baseball operations David Stearns has allowed no free passes on the roster and, on Monday, designated a struggling relief pitcher for assignment.
The Mets have designated Jake Diekman for assignment
According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, the Mets have designated relief pitcher Jake Diekman for assignment.
The Nebraska native began last season pitching in the Windy City for the Chicago White Sox but struggled. The left-hander pitched 11.1 innings across 13 appearances to a 7.94 ERA with a 2.118 WHIP and 11 strikeouts. Diekman then got designated for assignment, and the Tampa Bay Rays picked him up on a one-year deal. The 37-year-old pitched 45.1 innings across 50 appearances to a 2.18 ERA with a 1.125 WHIP and 53 strikeouts.
Diekman came to the Mets this offseason on a one-year deal worth $4 million with a vesting option for 2025 but struggled to replicate the same success he had with Tampa in Flushing and instead looked like the pitcher he was in Chicago.
The left-hander has pitched 32 innings across 43 games to a 5.63 ERA with a 1.469 WHIP while striking out 40 and registering four saves.
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What does this mean for the Mets?
The Mets have until Tuesday to trade Diekman and may just get an offer with so many teams looking for relief help at this year’s deadline. The 37-year-old has struggled, so the return wouldn’t likely be anything greater than cash considerations, but it is still better than letting the Nebraska native go for nothing.
With Diekman now gone, Alex Young becomes the Mets’ primary left-handed relief option, but the blue and orange may also look elsewhere to add some help before the deadline passes. Time will tell what Stearns does with the left-handed reliever role, but regardless of that, Diekman’s time with the Mets has come to an unceremonious conclusion.
