The 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) was a nightmare, at least for the New York Mets. Finisher Edwin Dias (29), who played for the Puerto Rico national team, injured his knee while celebrating after the victory.
Immediately on the operating table, Dias was told he would need to rehabilitate for at least eight months. Running has been difficult this season. Metz also has a headache. Diaz’ salary is expected to be covered by insurance from the WBC Secretariat. But for the Mets, that’s not the problem.
No matter how much money it costs, it is a team that needs to win the World Series first. The bigger problem is that it is not easy to recruit a new closer with the season just around the corner. It’s even more so because they lost Diaz, the league’s best-paid bullpen pitcher, who represents the league.
First of all, we are looking for alternatives internally in a hurry. The most likely candidate is veteran right-hander David Robertson (38). He has a career of 30 or more saves in three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016. Last year, he recorded a total of 20 saves through the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia, and has a total of 157 saves. the most experienced Setup man Adam Ottavino has more experience in the front than in the finish.
However, Robertson’s pitch is not at its peak. Ottavino once went to the finish and was greatly scolded. So the local press picks one more as a ‘part-time finish’. Left-hander Brooks Rayleigh (35), who played for Lotte for a long time and is familiar to KBO league fans, is the main character.
Rayleigh doesn’t have much finishing experience either. He recorded 2 saves in 2021 while with Houston and 6 saves last year with Tampa Bay. However, in terms of pitching quality last year, it is not inferior to Robertson or Ottavino. In particular, the percentage of barrel hits that can lead to long hits is the lowest in the league. There’s a reason the Mets recruited Rayleigh as their left-handed setup man.
If Robertson doesn’t become a full-time finisher,먹튀검증 he might choose to split the load with lefty Rayleigh. It is evaluated as the most realistic way to buy time like that and recruit a new finisher before the trade deadline. Perhaps, depending on the performance, Rayleigh becomes the ‘first finishing option’, something that Mets fans can’t laugh at.
The Mets are the dominant team in the major leagues this year, and Rayleigh’s annual salary this year is only $4.5 million (approximately 5.9 billion won), which is at the bottom of the team. The Mets are hoping for a quick return from Rayleigh, who has been sidelined with hamstring pain.