FROM GOAT TO G.O.A.T.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”10″][vc_column][vc_column_text]When the New York Mets announced they had released Robinson Cano I began to reflect on just how much the landscape of the New York Mets franchise has shifted since the day Cano and Edwin Diaz first slipped on the Mets pinstripes for the media.Since then:
- The New York Mets have been sold to Steve Cohen. Mets fans no longer need to suffer through the experience Jeff Wilpon’s beady eyes and long face at the press conference table.
- Brodie Van Wagenen was fired as general manager after two short, futile years.
- Jay Bruce: One of the five players sent to Seattle in the deal is now retired.
- Jarred Kelenic: Once the top prospect in the Mets system, Kelenic has played in 120 games over the 2021-22 seasons and is batting a combined .175.
- Gerson Bautista: Pitched eight games for the Mariners in 2019 and hasn’t pitched in the MLB since. At last check, he pitched for two teams in the Mexican League. In seven appearances combined, he has compiled an ERA of 27.00, allowing 12 runs in five innings.
- Justin Dunn: Was traded by the Mariners to the Cincinnati Reds in the offseason. He has not pitched at all in 2022.
- Anthony Swarzak: He has jumped from Seattle to Atlanta and Arizona and Kansas City since 2019 but has not pitched at any level in 2022.
- Edwin Diaz: The Mets closer has found his mojo in New York after several ups-and-downs.
- Robinson Cano: Played 168 games for the Mets, batting .269 with 24 homers, 72 RBIs. He missed the entire 2021 season for a PED suspension.
Nearly four years removed from the seven-player deal that created a lot of debate, we can now look at the trade with some supporting performance data to mine whether the either team actually “won” the deal.
At age 39, Cano is a free agent. Will he ever get another MLB at bat? That remains to been seen. As for Kelenic, the jury is still out. What we do know is, Kelenic is not ready for prime time. The question now is, can he regain the confidence required to hit at the level he was expected to.
The additional pieces — Bruce, Bautista, Dunn and Swarzak — were all hit-or-miss at the time of the trade. Dunn and Bautista were young hopefuls, Bruce and Swarzak were aging vets. The Mariners missed on all of them. The Mariners strategy was to cut payroll and they achieved that by eliminating an overextended, underperforming, aging player (Cano).
Which brings us to the one player who now makes the trade look like a steal for the Mets: Edwin Diaz.
The same Edwin Diaz that Mets fans uttered foul language and guttural screams as they watched him melt down in critical situations. Diaz piled up an impressive number of blown saves over the first two seasons in New York.
“It’s not fun to get booed and it sucks and you hate what’s going on.” Advice for Edwin Diaz, from closers who have been there:https://t.co/KYin6dYdNu pic.twitter.com/3a1LCqP4TL
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) September 13, 2019
This is also the same Edwin Diaz who snuffed out the Philadelphia Phillies to finish off a no-hitter last week vs. Phillies and the same Edwin Diaz who is now being held out as the next player the team needs to secure with a long-term contract extension.
For Edwin Diaz, time has changed the entire conversation.
He has gone from GOAT to G.O.A.T.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row gap=”10″][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]
Edwin Diaz will finish the year 0-10 with 20 blown saves and a 6.88 ERA he will be the worst closer ever he sucks and Mickey is gonna give him an excuse
— Frank Fleming (@NjTank99) May 30, 2019
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deGrom will never win again
Mets will get swept
Edwin Diaz sucks its an insult to Benitez
— Frank Fleming (@NjTank99) June 14, 2019
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I am so tired of watching Edwin Diaz and I am so tired of the idiots on here telling me he’s a good pitcher. He sucks!
— Greg Kantor (@gkantor_18) April 23, 2022
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Edwin Diaz just sucks dude. I need him off of my team immediately
— mlb shitpost bot (@mlbshitpostbot) March 9, 2022
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Wow. What a gut punch to the stomach. Edwin Diaz can stay in DC. We just lost a half game to Braves and Philly because our “closer” f*cking sucks. pic.twitter.com/GH9uRZRrBW
— Casey (@CaseyJ_516) September 6, 2021
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