Mets in agreement on deal with lefty reliever Jake Diekman
The Mets are in agreement with left-handed reliever Jake Diekman on a deal, pending a physical, reports SNY's Andy Martino.
The deal is for one year for roughly $4 million and contains a second-year vesting option.
Diekman, 37, had a 3.34 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 10.2 strikeouts per nine in 56.2 innings over 63 appearances last season with the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.
He found another gear after joining the Rays in May, posting a 2.18 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 45.1 innings.
During his 12-year career, which has also included stints with the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Boston Red Sox, Diekman has a 3.82 ERA and 1.39 WHIP with a strikeout rate of 11.4 per nine.
In addition to stifling left-handed hitters, Diekman has fared very well against right-handers during his career, holding them to a .209/.327/.345 triple slash.
Last season, Diekman was even better against righties than lefties, limiting them to a minuscule .151/.289/.235 line.
Diekman will be joining a relief corps led by Edwin Diaz, a dominant end-of-game force who should be back at full strength after missing the entire 2023 season due to a freak knee injury.
In addition to Diaz are the recently re-signed Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley, and Drew Smith, who should all figure prominently. The club also came to terms on a one-year deal with hard-throwing right-hander Shintaro Fujinami on Friday.
Before signing Ottavino, Diekman and Fujinami, the Mets had made a plethora of bullpen additions this offseason, but none had been slam dunks.
Jorge Lopez was the boldest one, and he has tantalizing stuff. But he had a 5.95 ERA in 2023, has a career ERA of 5.51 (with a 1.48 WHIP), and has put together just one big league season out of eight that wasn't below average -- an All-Star campaign for the Orioles in 2022 when he had a 2.54 ERA.
Beyond Lopez are relievers like Michael Tonkin, Austin Adams, and Kyle Crick, who have been signed to minor league deals with spring training invites or non-guaranteed split contracts.
It's murky after that, with relievers such as Yohan Ramirez, Josh Walker, Sean Reid-Foley, Grant Hartwig, Phil Bickford, and Reed Garrett all on the 40-man roster.
