Ranking 3 candidates to replace Edwin Diaz as the closer if the Mets pulls the plug

2) Reed Garrett

Tell yourself two months ago that we’d seriously be talking about Reed Garrett replacing Edwin Diaz as the closer and you’d think the world had gone mad. The world has been mad for a really long time. Diaz’s fall and Garrett’s rise is just one example.

Garrett’s excellence cannot be understated. His gutsy save against the Los Angeles Dodgers with Diaz handling the eighth was the only example we got of him in a high-leverage save situation. No one on the pitching staff has been better at run prevention. His strikeout numbers are tops on the roster.

Elevating Garrett so high up the depth chart would be a case of riding the hottest arm you have. A majority of fans wouldn’t be opposed to this. The same rationale for not doing so is similar to Ottavino. Let’s not break someone else.

Garrett can pitch multiple innings. While some closers can, he is far more important to have on a night where the team needs more than three outs earlier than the ninth. Garrett should be an alternate at the closer spot. Fixating him around only save opportunities, however, would take away some of his best abilities. Much like the Mets kept Aaron Loup in innings six and seven for the 2021 season and saw him have one of the better pitchers for a middle reliever in team history, the team should consider not changing up Garrett’s role too quickly.