Closer Diaz arrives to spring training with new contract

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — You’d never know how much frustration Edwin Diaz faced just a few years ago. The 28-year-old closer came to the Mets as an All-star in a hotly-debated trade with the Seattle Mariners ahead of the 2019 season and fell apart. He had the worst season of his career in the game’s biggest market.

Now, he’s not only one of baseball’s best closers but the richest too, having been awarded a five-year, $102 million contract in November. Diaz reported to spring training Tuesday happy to still be with the team that helped him turn things around.

“I love being here with the Mets,” he said Tuesday at Clover Field. “They gave me the opportunity to stay here with them. Looking forward to winning a championship here.”

Diaz wasn’t shy about vocalizing the Mets’ World Series ambitions, despite it still being the middle of

February. Each year since Diaz was traded to New York, the club has expected to contend for titles, only to fall apart in the summer. Last year, the Mets finally made it back to the postseason and felt they even underachieved after having led the NL East for most of the season.

Diaz was a key piece of that 101-win team going 3-1 with a 1.31 ERA and 32 saves in 35 opportunities. He’s hoping for a repeat season for himself.

“I’ll try to do the same thing as last year,” Diaz said. “I try to be my sharpest every day and help the team win.”

Diaz doesn’t plan on changing anything, except for his hair, which he lightened in anticipation of the World Baseball Classic, a tradition for Team Puerto Rico stemming from their performance in the 2017 tournament. He said he’ll still throw his same two pitches — a fastball and a slider — and he’s definitely keeping his walk-out song, “Narco,” by Blasterjaxx and Timmy Trumpet.

Diaz also changed nothing about his winter pitching program, despite playing later into the season than usual. He wanted to be ready for the WBC and in shape by the time spring training rolled around.

A more outgoing, more successful Diaz is eager to get the season going.

“I’ll keep throwing my two pitches,” Diaz said. “And striking everybody out.”

In recent years, the Mets have wasted no time in announcing their Opening Day starting pitchers. But this year the Mets will help two other teams open up their home slates before heading home to open their own at Citi Field. They’ll play eight games in a row, with the eighth at Citi Field, and Showalter would prefer to use one of his aces in the home opener.

This would mean that the club would shuffle the rotation for the first two series. A sixth starter could be used but likely won’t be, so the Mets are still mulling their options for the home opener on April 6.

Opening days:

National delicacies: Buck Showalter has been sampling some of Port St. Lucie’s best establishments: Chipotle and Golden Corral.

Chipotle, the ubiquitous Mexican fast-casual chain known for customizable burritos and burrito bowls, has long been a favorite of minor league athletes in baseball and beyond thanks to their generous portions for the price point and their numerous nationwide locations. But this was news to Showalter, who seems to have recently discovered the restaurant and recently learned about online ordering.

“I think half our team was in there last night,” he said. “You can order on your phone, did you know that? I got one of the clubbies to do it for me.”

With the Mets starting the regular season in Miami, the team is planning on holding its final workout of spring at Clover Field before traveling south. The benefit of this?

“One more night at Golden Corral,” Showalter said.