![]() ![]() I think it’s fair to say that Diaz will be entering free agency with a less consistent track record than either Hendriks or Chapman. Here’s the three seasons leading into free agency: Hendriks in 2020: 25 1/3 innings, 1.78 ERA, 40.2% strikeout rate, 3.3% walk rate, 32% ground ball rate.Chapman in 2016: 58 innings, 1.55 ERA, 40.5% strikeout rate, 8.1% walk rate, 46% ground ball rate.But what about performance? Here are all three pitchers in their final year before free agency, for comparison. Hendriks was going into his age-32 season. When Chapman signed his contract, he was going into his age-29 season, which is the same situation as Diaz. For those in the latter camp, Hendriks will be included in the forthcoming analysis. This unique contract, depending on how you look at it, either has an AAV of $13.5MM over four years or $18MM over three years. If the club chooses to buy him out, they will pay him that $15MM deferred over a ten-year period instead of paying it all out during the 2024 campaign. ![]() The last year of the contract is technically a $15MM club option with a $15MM buyout. Also worth noting, Liam Hendriks and the White Sox signed a four-year, $54MM contract prior to the 2021 season. That amounts to an average annual value of $17.2MM. If Diaz continues pitching at this elite level, could he push for a record-breaking contract, either in total dollars or average annual value? The largest contract ever given to a relief pitcher is the five-year deal signed between Aroldis Chapman and the Yankees prior to the 2017 campaign, which was for $86MM over five years, with Chapman eligible to opt out after three. He averages 99 mph on his fastball and 90.7 mph on his slider. Hitters aren’t hitting him and rarely inflict any damage when they do. That rate is easily the best among all pitchers in baseball with at least 20 innings pitched on the year, with Josh Hader coming in a distant second at 41.9%.ĭiaz’s Statcast page is blood red, with the hurler coming in the 100th percentile in terms of strikeout rate and whiff rate, 99th percentile in terms of average exit velocity, barrel percentage and chase rate, and 87th percentile in hard hit rate. But most impressively, he is striking out 52.9% of batters who come to the plate, well beyond his career high and more than double the 23.4% average for bullpen arms. His 7% walk rate is a few points better than the 9.1% rate for relievers around the league. 48.5% of batted balls against him are going into the ground, which is a career high and well above the 43.3% league average for relievers. Through 45 1/3 innings on the year, he has a miniscule 1.39 ERA. Coming into this year, Diaz had a career 3.23 ERA with a 38.6% strikeout rate, 8.8% walk rate and 40.2% ground ball rate.ĭespite that excellent body of work, he’s somehow found a way to take his game to new heights here in 2022. Though he struggled in 2019, his first season in Queens, he righted the ship over the next couple of seasons. After two more excellent seasons as Seattle’s closer, he was traded to the Mets, partly as a way for the Mariners to get out from under Robinson Cano’s contract. Now 28, Diaz burst onto the scene with the Mariners at the age of 22, recording 18 saves as a rookie. Mets’ closer Edwin Diaz is arguably the best reliever in the entire sport right now and will be the jewel of that segment of free agency. ![]() In the upcoming free agent class, there’s no debate about the top available relief pitcher. ![]()
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