Lackluster Mets free agent signing remains nomadic almost 2 weeks after his release

We’re nearing the two week mark for when the New York Mets made the final decision on Jake Diekman and released him from the roster. DFA’d on July 29, released on August 3, and still unsigned, Diekman is either holding out for a major league deal or taking a vacation.

Plenty of other fallen Mets players have found jobs since their release. Among the more recent, Adrian Houser signed up on a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs. Not Diekman. Passing through waivers and then going this long without a new deal suggests the Mets, if anything, held onto him too long.

Is Jake Diekman done in Major League Baseball?

At 37, Diekman must be looking at retirement as an option. We’ve thought this before, though. Ex-teammate Adam Ottavino didn’t sign until late in the offseason. Not a hint of a rumor involving his return to the Mets, he came back for a third year. Ottavino had opted out of his contract for the 2024 season previously but a combination of a lack of interest, desire to play, and need on the roster for a reliable veteran presence had the two sides coming together. He remains with the Mets, but for how much longer?

Diekman had an odd year with the Mets. A .202 batting average against him suggests he put together a masterclass on pitching. Once we see the .354 OBP and .447 slugging percentage against him, suddenly the issues that plagued him come alive.

Only 23 hits mustered against him in 32 innings, hitters made up for it by patiently drawing 24 walks. And of those 23 hits, 7 were home runs. This is what would eventually cross the line of the Mets having any sort of patience with him.

Batters started to hit the ball harder against Diekman and less so on the ground. In his final four appearances spanning 4.1 innings, he had only one groundball out versus eight flyballs. What made him so successful last year with the Tampa Bay Rays were balls on the ground hit softly.

There is no second-guessing when it comes to releasing Diekman. The rest of baseball must not believe in him much either. Instead of “why” they got rid of him it’s “why did it take so long?”