The New York Mets have reportedly been interested in adding a second lefty reliever to the bullpen on a cheap deal. On Thursday, they accomplished just that. The Athletic reports that Jake Diekman and the Mets are in agreement on a deal.
The New York Mets Sign Jake Diekman
Diekman, 37, will pair with Brooks Raley as the second veteran southpaw in the Mets’ bullpen. Diekman struggled in 2022 and early 2023. Many evaluators thought he had nothing in the tank after the Chicago White Sox cut him in May. However, he latched on with the Tamp Bay Rays and excelled.
In 45.1 innings across 50 games with the Rays, the lefty produced a 2.18 ERA (192 ERA+), 1.12 WHIP, and a great 28.7 percent strikeout rate. Perhaps a little surprisingly, at his age and profile, Diekman still throws hard. His average fastball velocity last season was 95.4 mph.
What Diekman Will Bring to the Bullpen
Success came for Diekman last season thanks to his great ability to induce soft contact. He ranked in the 99th percentile in Hard-Hit percentage (27.1 percent) and the 98th percentile in both Average-Exit Velocity and Expected-Slugging. Diekman’s four-seam fastball represents his best pitch. He threw it over 57 percent of the time last season, and its Run Value of 5 marked the best out of all of his pitches. Diekman’s walks represent the biggest red flag in his game. His 15.6 percent walk rate ranked in the first percentile in 2023, meaning nobody gave up walks like Diekman did.
However, that number might not represent the adjustments he made in Tampa Bay. In 11 1/3 innings with the Chicago White Sox last year, Diekman produced a walk rate of 22.4 percent. That decreased significantly (13.5 percent) with the Rays. While his Rays rate is still high compared to the league average, it’s more manageable and closer to his career norm. With Raley expected to serve as the primary lefty in high-leverage innings, the Mets signed Diekman for the middle innings to clean up messes.
Diekman mainly pitched in low-leverage situations in 2023 and likely will do the same with the Mets.
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