3 possible replacements for Edwin Diaz if he leaves after the 2022 season

NY Mets closer candidate to replace Edwin Diaz: Sign free agent Michael Fulmer

Reunions are rarely a good thing but with Michael Fulmer it’s different. He never actually pitched for the Mets. Bringing him back would be a whole different kind of flavor.

Fulmer made the transition from starter to closer last year with the Detroit Tigers. Following his 2016 Rookie of the Year performance and 2017 All-Star selection, Fulmer has been mostly MIA. He struggled in 2018, missed all of 2019 due to an injury, and had a horrendous 2020 season that only compares to what most of the Mets pitching staff did in 2017.

The Detroit Tigers had seen enough. In 2021, he moved to the bullpen. He was quite good.

In relief, Fulmer gave the Tigers a 2.53 ERA in 57 innings of work. He saved 14 games, finished 21, and struck out batters at a rate of 10.4 per nine innings. It’s very possible that Fulmer is on the rise as one of the game’s next best closers. A free agent after 2022, could the Mets swoop in and make him their guy?

A lot will depend on what Fulmer is able to accomplish in 2022 in the Tigers’ bullpen and more importantly in the closer’s role. Because the closer job may not be his this year, this possibility of the Mets targeting him in free agency for the role looks slimmer than some of the other players out there.

Nonetheless, keep an eye on Fulmer at least becoming a bullpen option for the club next offseason even if it’s just in a setup role.