You know who might fix struggling Mets closer Edwin Diaz?
None other than Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez.
“Don’t be surprised if I show up in Puerto Rico and do a little work with him,” Martinez said during a midtown lunch Tuesday in which he helped promote TBS’ upcoming MLB playoff coverage. “Or have him come over to the Dominican and do a little with him. I feel bad to see such a young player struggling like that.”
Martinez knows Diaz well. He is connected to him via Martinez’s friends, Robinson Cano and Carlos Beltran.
“For sure,” Diaz said before the Mets faced the Marlins on Tuesday about wanting to work with Martinez. “I’ve been talking to Cano about it. I told him I wanted to work with Pedro. If it’s for one month, two months, three months, I’m open to doing anything if I get that opportunity. If he thinks he can help, I’d want that.”
Before Diaz and Cano were dealt to the Mets from Seattle, Martinez had some advice for the Mariners.
Pedro Martinez and Edwin DiazTBS Sports; Paul J. Bereswill“When he first came up, I remember he was in Seattle and they were struggling to have someone close games,” Martinez said. “Because I know Robbie Cano, I just called Robbie directly and said, ‘Why don’t you have the young kid close games? Tell your GM to have Diaz try to close games,’ and they did.”
You may have heard that Diaz was nasty from 2016 to 2018 out west, picking up 57 saves to lead the AL last year.
“Then Diaz said, ‘Pedro is my idol, I’d like to meet Pedro,’ ” Martinez said, recounting a conversation with Cano. “So I went to Puerto Rico. I’m really good friends with Carlos Beltran. He’s like my brother. I got to know Diaz. That is how everything developed.”
Martinez loves to work with pitchers. He helped Luis Severino become an ace, though, he is quick to credit the Yankees with completing Severino’s growth.
“He worked with Luis Severino and now Severino is one of the better pitchers in the league,” Diaz said. “I think if I work with Pedro, we can make a lot of progress.”
With Diaz, what Martinez sees is a lot of himself.
“We have a lot of things in common,” Martinez said before referring to his delivery. “Three-quarters. Skinny. Same arm angle. Movement on the ball.”
If Martinez were leading the Mets, he would keep the 25-year-old righty.
“I think they should,” Martinez said. “He is easy to fix. Once he gets the taste for success or has a little of success, he could grow.”
