The Mack Report - Santana, Diaz Injury, Otto, Peterson, Orze

Santana, Diaz Injury, Otto, Peterson, Orze

 

Steve Adams - Mets Claim Dennis Santana -

Santana, 27 next month, once ranked as one of the top pitching prospects in a stacked Dodgers system but has begun to bounce around the waiver circuit after tough stints both in Los Angeles and Texas. He’s appeared in parts of five big league seasons but logged a 5.12 ERA (4.43 SIERA) in 139 innings. 

Last season with the Rangers, Santana averaged a blistering 97.7 mph on his four seamer and 96.7 mph on his sinker. However, he still posted a below-average 21.2% strikeout rate with a bloated 11% walk rate en route to a 5.22 earned run average. 

Command has been an issue throughout his big league career, evidenced by his penchant for free passes (career 11.8% walk rate). That said, he’s consistently generated swinging strikes at an above-average rate (11.4% in 2022, 11.7% career) and induced chases on pitches off the plate at a high level as well (34.3% in 2022, 33.3% career). 

Mack - Just what the Mets need… another speedballer with a control problem. 

 

Benjamin Hart - The New Yorker -

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/03/edwin-diazs-injury-is-bad-familiar-news-for-the-mets.html -

To be fair, Diaz is hardly the first athlete to suffer a major injury in the throes of postgame passion. Infamous examples of the phenomenon include former Arizona Cardinals kicker Bill Gramatica and former Anaheim Angels first baseman Kendrys Morales. 

But Diaz’s case is unusual: He managed to hurt himself this way before the regular season, in a game that had nothing to do with the team that’s paying him millions. 

The incident will rekindle debates about whether Major League Baseball teams should allow their players to compete in an international tournament. (The players are unlikely to go along with restrictions.) It will also serve as a reminder that, coming off a year of tremendous potential and eventual disappointment, the Mets have a long way to go to transcend their reputation as a benighted franchise. 

Mack - I’m falling in love with this idea of  playing this four year event during the off-season. 

 

Jim Bowden: Mets have trade options to find new closer after Edwin Díaz’s injury -

2. Alexis Díaz, RHP, Reds

Age: 26

HT: 6-2 WT: 224

WAR: 3.1 W-L: 7-3 ERA: 1.84 SV: 10

G: 59 GF: 20 IP: 63 2/3 SO: 83 BB: 33 WHIP: 0.958 

I’m not sure there would be a better way for the Mets to temporarily replace Edwin Díaz in the closer role than to acquire his brother, Alexis. The Reds are “all-in” on their rebuild and if they can “win” a prospect trade, GM Nick Krall would pull the trigger. 

If the Mets landed Alexis Díaz, he could at first be used as a set-up man in front of Robertson and given the opportunity to earn the closer role. Díaz is a two-pitch reliever with a 96 to 98 mph fastball and a hard 87 mph slider. 

Last season, opponents hit .127 against his four-seamer and .133 against his slider. His fastball spin rate ranked in the 100th percentile and his Whiff% was in the 97th percentile. That said, the trade cost for Díaz, who isn’t arbitration-eligible until 2025, would be steep. 

SportsNaut - Jason Burgos - 4 players New York Mets could target with insurance money from Edwin Diaz injury -

Alexis Diaz

One interesting way to try and replace Diaz would be to trade for his brother, Cincinnati Reds prospect Alexis Diaz. The New York Mets were reportedly trying to trade for him last season and that interest likely has not changed since then. 

The 26-year-old has a notable upside out of the pen and was strong in his debut season in 2022. Posting a 1.84 ERA in 59 appearances and racked up 83 strikeouts in 63.2 innings.

Mack - securing the service of Edwin’s brother would be a great idea, but, first, he’s probably not available and, second, it would cost a Baty or Mauricio to get him. 

 

Edwin Diaz injury: 3 immediate backup plans for Mets at closer -

2. Adam Ottavino 

Adam Ottavino may get a look at the closer’s role early on if the team hasn’t decided on a set pecking order at the back of the bullpen to start the season. 

He doesn’t have a lot of closing experience, with 33 saves to his name. His highest single-season total of 11 came with the Red Sox in 2021. 

While the 12-year veteran doesn’t have the same resume that Roberston brings to the table, he was with the team last season, so Showalter knows what he’s all about. Ottavino had the trust of his manager in 2022. According to FanGraphs, he pitched in 12.1 innings of high-leverage situations, holding the opponents’ batting average to .154. He collected 18 holds and three saves over the course of the season. 

The 37-year-old also has better control than Robertson, with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate and a 6.2 percent walk rate. He also showed the ability to rise to the occasion when it mattered most last year. His strikeout rate jumped to 35.7 percent in his high-leverage outings, improving his K%-BB% from 24.4 percent to 28.6 percent. 

If he starts strong and out-performs Robertson early on, there’s a strong chance that Ottavino will take over the closer’s role before long. 

Mack - To me, the Cohen-era Mets don’t seem to be the kind of team that will have a closer by committee. 

Look for either Otto or Robertson here. 

 

                                               PC - Ernest Dove

2023 Mets King of Spring Training, update #2 -

David Peterson - 0.00 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 4 Ks in 4 IP

David Peterson has not appeared in a game since our last KoST update, getting some rest after taking a comebacker off his foot. He should be ready to start the season, but he’ll be competing with Tylor Megill for the rotation slot vacated by the injured José Quintana. 

Mack - As of the end of 3-17, Peterson is up to eight scoreless innings. 

Right now, he is slightly ahead of Megill for the SP5 slot. 

 

https://theathletic.com/4245052/2023/02/24/mets-bullpen-candidates/?source=user-shared-article -

Eric Orze (25)

Acquired: Drafted in the fifth round, 2021

Status: Not on the 40-man roster but with options.

Repertoire: Fastball, splitter, slider

2022: 4.83 ERA with 69 strikeouts in 50 1/3 Triple-A innings 

Kodai Senga isn’t the only right-hander in Mets camp throwing a noteworthy splitter. A forkball-turned-splitter has been Orze’s go-to pitch since he was a teenager, and it’s developed into a unique weapon for him. 

“It moves unique to how a right-handed pitcher usually throws,” Orze said. “I’ve had hitters say it’s comparable to a lefty slider. So I feel like I’m a tough at-bat for lefties because they’re not used to seeing that. I’m almost trying to use that split as a left-hander’s back-foot slider to righties.” 

Orze’s already picked Senga’s brain on the starter’s “ghost fork,” noting that they throw their splitters with similarly unorthodox grips — a typical splitter grip turned clockwise just a little. Orze’s aiming to get back on track after a step back of a season in Syracuse in 2022, saying he put too much pressure on himself to make that last jump to the majors. 

“For six months I’m sitting on the edge of my seat thinking it’s close,” he said. “It really set in this offseason that, ‘I don’t want to do that again.’ I want to make sure I use this as a growing experience, and this is going to make me better.” 

Mack - Three innings pitched so far this spring, with a 0.00-ERA.