Mets reliever Edwin Diaz could have some challengers for the closer job

While the New York Mets bullpen appears to be set, there is some debate as to who should be New York’s closer to start the 2020 season.

In 2019, the New York Mets came into the season with Edwin Diaz entering the season as the team’s closer, who was coming of a historic season, saving 57 games with the Mariners the previous year, tied for the second-most saves in a season by a pitcher in MLB history.

However, despite starting the year strong, Diaz struggled mightily in the second half of the year, due to a combination of overuse early in the season, along with injury and difficulty locating his slider, although he did finish with one of the highest strikeout rates in the MLB.

The Mets entered 2019 expecting the bullpen to be one of their strengths, but they ended up blowing 27 saves to finish the year, tied for 8th most in the major leagues.

With Diaz’s struggles, the Mets turned to a few other options to close out games late in the year, namely Justin Wilson and Seth Lugo, which served them well in their late-season run.

Going into 2020, the Mets have a few different players who could take up the role of Spring Training, namely three: Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, and new signee Dellin Betances.

While Justin Wilson did record a few saves in 2019, he looks to start the year as the only lefty, so it would be smart not for him to be limited to just the 9th inning this coming year.

Who gets the gig? Let’s examine each option.