Not sure you want a closer who’s always hurt, won’t throw strikes and even when healthy, only pitches once a week.
Mets Hot Stove Talk--2025-2026
- Thread starter BrooklynRed
- Start date
Very interesting thought. We cant lose Diaz though but I'd consider moving him to the 7th 8th inning or long deliveyr guy
I cant say this for fact but I think his 2nd inning after he got warmed up was generally better than his first inning but after he got hurt and came back he just sucked all around
He just doesn't ( in my eyes only ) have closer stuff but he could be a couple to a few inning guy
If we were gonna do that, why not pluck the former all star closer in our rotation?
I think Diaz comes back.
But if he does leave, I do not want Senegalese anywhere near the closer role. He was such a mess this season. They have to get him at the very least functional.
Stearns mentioned as much during his post season state of the team. Also, I doubt Stearns wants to gamble on his employment future on Senga being the closer.
The only thing I can think of is they do not want to screw with his arm and build his innings up to become a starter and then change him back to reliever the following season.
guinness77
Well-known member
Gut feeling…Diaz comes back, Alonso does not. Despite the spectacle of his franchise leading home runs, I don’t think he feels appreciated. I don’t know why, I can the Red Sox going for him.
I think we have to re-sign Diaz. I don't know how you can count on Senga for such a big role.
Peterson and Senga should be targeted for 25 starts and 130 innings. That's 5 1/3 average per game. Have them pitch 5th and 6th in the rotation to start the year and to start the second portion of the season after the all-star game. Never let them pitch with less than 5 days rest. I think that will keep them healthy and fresh. There is a ton of value in that profile IMO. Asking them to give you 180 innings and getting upset when they don't is like getting mad a Labrador for not being a good guard dog.
Grab Cease to eat innings and provide a good ceiling. Holmes seems like a horse...McLean as well. Load up on AAAA type guys that can do long relief.
If a starter falls behind 6-1 in the first 3 innings, get him out of there and let some taxi squad AAAA guy eat the innings. The game is not evolving fast enough to match the reality of arm fatigue and injuries. Load up on guys that can give you 4-5 innings in a blowout with minor league options remaining.
Senga is not a candidate for the Closer role. He doesn’t throw enough strikes AND he is perennially injured. They literally shuffled the entire organization strategy to pitch him on six days rest. Not happening.
I prefer Diaz to be back. I think he will. If not, closer by committee is on the table. I don’t support that but Stearns might. Money should not be an issue so they’ll figure something out.
I prefer Diaz to be back. I think he will. If not, closer by committee is on the table. I don’t support that but Stearns might. Money should not be an issue so they’ll figure something out.
The way baseball is now, you’d have to expect Yamamoto will be very injured next year after pitching around 200 innings this year after just 90 last year.
I was about to mention the Dodgers starting pitching efforts on the Yankees thread. So nice to see pitchers and aces actually go 8 and 9 innings. Remember when Snell supposedly couldn’t go more than six?
dk423
Well-known member
Helps when you conveniently only go 61IP in the regular season, lol
Argument could be made just the opposite, that you hadn’t built up enough arm strength and stamina to go that deep.
dk423
Well-known member
Dodgers' Dave Roberts Admits Blake Snell Probably Could Have Returned Sooner This Year
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed the Dodgers took extra care during starting pitcher Blake Snell's recovery from a left shoulder injury he suff
www.si.com
Meh, seems relatively clear LAD knew what they were doing here and even admitted as such.
Check out the innings pitched by their pitchers. It's absolutely bonkers how injured they were. I guess that's one way to keep guys fresh. I think baseball is so far behind on load management it's not even funny.
Great they managed Snell but it’s a rarity now for pictured at anytime of the season to be allowed to go past 7 innings in the regular season let alone the post season no matter how many or few innings they pitch. It can be done.Dodgers' Dave Roberts Admits Blake Snell Probably Could Have Returned Sooner This Year
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed the Dodgers took extra care during starting pitcher Blake Snell's recovery from a left shoulder injury he suff
Meh, seems relatively clear LAD knew what they were doing here and even admitted as such.
Yamamoto’s complete game is the first since Justin Verlander did it against the Yankees in Game 2 of the ALCS in 2017.
My point is, we are too often too quick to pull a starting pitcher.
dk423
Well-known member
I give the LA credit for the shadow IL move. It's better for baseball that SPs go longer.
Schlitter and Crochett both went 8 IP, I believe, in the ALDS. Both of their outings were a lot more fun since they went the extra mile.
Yet they are on pitch counts and inning limits and they still get hurt. What they are doing doesn’t appear to have cut down on injuries at all. Part of it could be with all the extra torque and strain being put on the arms trying to increase velocity and spin rate with pitchers doing it as early as little league before there arms fully develop. Some could be because it’s max effort on every pitch even waste pitchers. Others can be because they don’t throw enough to build up the arms trying strength and stretch it out. Pitchers use to long toss in Spring Training and in between starts. They don’t do much of that anymore. I guess the science says that and icing you arm consistently doesn’t work but it doesn’t appear that the load management (limit the number of pitches and innings) isn’t working either.