The New York Mets have become the most criticized team in recent days – and for good reason. Their decisions and latest moves have left them looking very poorly positioned and have given their fans plenty of reasons to be upset.
After suffering two tough blows this offseason, the Big Apple team let yet another major free-agent target slip away this Thursday.
The Mets miss out on another elite closer
One of the highest-profile players on this winter’s market, Robert Suárez, Robert Suárez, has agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract with the Atlanta Braves – division rivals of the Mets – as first reported by ESPN‘s Jeff Passan.
The New York team was considered one of the main suitors for the reliever and never hid their interest. They stayed in contact with Suárez but, according to Sportsnet‘s Ben Nicholson-Smith, they never made a formal offer – meaning the Braves simply moved faster.
The move comes just two days after the Mets lost their own star closer, Edwin Díaz, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, back-to-back World Series champions.
Now, Devin Williams is projected to take over the closer role for the team, though he could have formed one of the most dominant late-inning duos in baseball alongside either Díaz or Suárez.
With Suárez off the board, all of the Mets’ attention now turns to former Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks, one of the top high-leverage relievers still available in free agency.
Fairbanks, who turns 32 next week, is the best remaining high-pressure reliever on the market.
He is coming off a season in which he posted a 2.83 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 59 strikeouts, and 27 saves in 60.1 innings for the Rays.
In his career, the right-hander owns a 3.19 ERA and 90 saves across 275 appearances, all of them with Tampa Bay over his seven big-league seasons.
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