Mets have serious issues beyond Edwin Diaz’s closer status
NY Post
MIAMI — Mets manager Carlos Mendoza termed struggling star Edwin Diaz’s status as closer “fluid” for now. Which is a nice way of saying his chances of pitching the ninth inning in the near term are under water.
Day 1 of the Mets’ new “mix-and-match” plan to close out games was a success, thanks to 2024 bullpen revelation Reed Garrett saving a 7-3 victory over the Marlins and helping avert disaster — a potential sweep to the fire-selling Marlins.
Meantime, Diaz, who’s nobody’s water boy, showed a vastly improved state of mind on the day after the blowup that brought tears and temporarily cost him the marquee bullpen job.
“I feel good, I feel great,” Diaz told The Post after a bullpen session that gave him hope his comeback may come quicker than imagined.
“I talked to them, and we’re on the same page. I’ll just go to work and get my confidence back and be back in my closing job.”
Diaz sounded hopeful it could be a matter of days, but realistically, he’s going to have to show he can get folks out in lower-leverage situations a time or two or more before he reclaims his spot. Until then, the job will probably fall on Garrett — the journeyman turned savior who’s the best story of the Mets season — veteran Adam Ottavino, who was warming up in case in the ninth inning, and maybe one or two others.
Urho Vaakanainen is in his seventh NHL season, and the Rangers are his third team, but the 26-year-old defenseman never has reached the playoffs.
TAMPA — Aaron Judge has played in the Yankees’ first home Grapefruit League game in each of the past four years.
Silent most of the game, Mikal Bridges required just one play to make himself heard.
PORT ST. LUCIE — When the Mets arrived at spring training, their intention was to go with a six-man rotation from the outset of the regular season.
A New York Jets player was one of two people robbed at gunpoint in the suburbs of New Jersey last weekend in what police say was a targeted heist, according to a report.
Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025 regular season with a blood clot in his right shoulder.
Posing with stolen merchandise is not a sound strategy for a heist.
The moment that sums up Anthony Duclair’s past couple of months came in the final game before the Islanders entered the 4 Nations break.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Mike Collier died in Maryland on Sunday, according to an online obituary.
The preferred path to follow remains in place: Select a quarterback with the No. 3 pick in the draft. That is what the Giants hope will happen. When it comes to identifying and securing a franchise-saving player, though, hope is not a good thing, maybe the worst of things — with apologies to Andy Dufresne.
BOSTON — The Rangers reconvened for practice Tuesday ahead of the resumption of the NHL schedule, one that will have the Blueshirts go back-to-back in Buffalo (at 5:30) and Pittsburgh (at 3:30) on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
TAMPA — It is still the time of spring training when pitchers are generally ahead of hitters.
LaVar Ball had his right foot amputated after suffering a “serious medical issue,” TMZ Sports reported on Wednesday.