Mets are saving their own closer, Edwin Diaz, from pitching more than three outs

PHILADELPHIA — New York Mets’ manager Mickey Callaway made a crucial decision in the eighth inning of Monday night’s 7-6 extra-inning win over the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Up 6-5 with two outs and the bases loaded, he brought in Robert Gsellman to relieve the struggling Jeurys Familia. He could have brought in closer Edwin Diaz. It seemed like the logical thing to do.

Instead, Gsellman walked in the tying run, and the two teams battled until nearly midnight. 

Coming into the game, Gsellman had allowed runs to 13 of 32 inherited runners in his career as a reliever. Conventional wisdom says you would use your closer in that situation, especially when you have one of the best in the game. 

As it turns out, the Mets won anyway, so Callaway didn’t feel like it was the wrong decision. It was the right decision in the minds of the Mets to not bring their closer into a tie game on the road because Diaz isn't a four-out closer. 

The team is saving him specifically for three-out save situations. 

“It’s just something we don’t feel like we need to do at this point,” Callaway said. “When we get to the playoffs, he’ll be available for more than three outs. But we have faith in our other guys and they’ve got to get in there and get the job done. And if they don’t, we might lose a game. But hey, that’s the reality of the situation.”

While one loss might seem inconsequential in April, Monday’s game illustrated just how tight the much-improved NL East will play this season. Still, Callaway and even general manager Brodie Van Wagenen made it clear this is how they plan to use Diaz moving forward, while shedding little light on what went into the thinking behind this plan. 

“Our goal is to put all of our players in the best position to succeed,” Van Wagenen said. “Diaz showed last year that when pitching in that role and when pitching with that workload that he had tremendous success. It’s part of our win-now and win-in-the-future model that we want this guy to be at his best, not only this year every time out, but also in October and as we go into the years in the future.”

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The Mets don’t want Diaz, who led the league in saves last season with 57, to have to sit back down after getting warm. They also don’t appear to be high on the idea of giving him just one out in a similar spot.

He’s a closer, and they intend to use him in save situations that won’t require him to get up and down. 

“As we manage his workload early in the year, that’s going to put all of us in a position to succeed,” Van Wagenen added. 

The GM did say they could veer from this stance at any time, but if this gives the Mets the best chance to win, they probably won’t. 

“We can always deviate from any rule. Not just with Edwin, but with anybody,” Van Wagenen said. “But I think that collectively we develop plans and right now we’re working through those together.” 

Van Wagenen wouldn’t say whether this mandate came from Diaz himself after he was traded by the Seattle Mariners in the offseason. Diaz, who has six saves and a 1.35 ERA over 6⅔ innings of work this season, said he’s willing to do whatever is asked of him. 

“I want to win,” Diaz said. “I’ll be ready at any time. They can put me in any situation to pitch. They are the coaches, so I have to be ready.” 

It wouldn’t be uncharacteristic of the Mets to use a mandate like this to cover up for an injury concern. Diaz has never been placed on the major league injured list but the Mets' bad luck is well-documented.

It would be even less shocking if they backed down from this mandate by May, especially if the bullpen continues to trend in the same direction. 

For now, they’re continuing to have “faith” in a crew of relievers who collectively own one of the worst bullpen ERAs in the league (6.00). 

“It’s just something that I feel strongly about,” Callaway said. “It worked for us tonight. Your pitchers are going to have to step up and get outs in that situation.” 

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