Four ways the Mets could replace the injured Edwin Diaz

New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz suffered an injury to his right knee Wednesday while celebrating  Puerto Rico's upset victory over the Dominican Republic in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

According to the New York Mets, Diaz suffered a full-thickness tear of the patellar tendon. GM Billy Eppler told reporters Thursday that the time frame for recovery is about eight months.

Diaz had a stellar 2022 season, striking out more than half the batters he faced. The Mets are considered a top World Series contender in 2023 but will have to find a way to fill the void Diaz leaves if they hope to win their title title since 1986.

Here are four ways the Mets could replace Diaz:

Right-hander David Robertson

The list starts with Robertson. The Mets signed the 14-year veteran to a one-year, $10 million contract this offseason. The Mets hoped Robertson would be Diaz's setup man, but Robertson has plenty of closing experience and is an adequate backup plan.

The 37-year-old reliever has 157 career saves, 54 of which came as a member of the New York Yankees. It's safe to say the veteran knows how to deal with highly intense New York situations. 

Lefties and righties both hit below .180 against Robertson a season ago, which makes him the leading candidate to replace Diaz.

Right-hander Adam Ottavino

Another in-house option for the Mets to consider, Ottavino had one of the best seasons of his career in 2022. He struck out 79 batters and posted a 2.06 ERA in 65.2 innings. Ottavino has 33 career saves, three of which came last season, so he also has some ninth-inning experience.

Ottavino's slider had the fifth-most horizontal movement in 2022 among all MLB sliders, according to Baseball Savant. 

The drawback to Ottavino is that he struggles against lefties, who hit .301 against him last year. 

Trade for Pittsburgh righty David Bednar

If the Mets want a current All-Star closer, the best course of action would be to trade for Bednar. Bednar has been excellent for the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates the past two seasons, posting a 2.23 ERA in 2021 and a 2.61 ERA in 2022. 

Bednar is a power pitcher. He struck out 146 batters in 112.1 innings in 2021-22. The right-hander only racked up 22 saves in that time frame, but much of that can be accredited to a 2022 back injury and the limited save opportunities the Pirates give their closer.

He will cost a lot to get but would stabilize the ninth inning for New York.

Closer-by-committee 

This is a plausible route the Mets could take. The closer-by-committee route would allow the Mets to decide who pitches the ninth inning based on the situation.

If a right-handed-heavy part of a team's order is coming up, the Mets could have Robertson or Ottavino close. 

If a left-handed-heavy part of a teams order is coming up, the Mets could have Robertson or left-hander Brooks Raley close.

If the team wants to keep the middle innings locked down with their main relievers, they could have John Curtiss—who has closing experience—ready to go. They could also turn the ball to hard-throwing Drew Smith in the ninth.

The Mets have a lot of closer options to consider. It will not be easy for New York to replace the best closer in baseball. Manager Buck Showalter must get creative and ride the hot hand throughout the season.