The New York Mets were dealt a devastating injury blow when elite closer Edwin Diaz suffered a torn patellar tendon celebrating with his Puerto Rico teammates after defeating the Dominican Republic 5-2 in the World Baseball Classic, but there is a silver lining for the club.
The Mets will be reimbursed for Diaz's salary in 2023 while he is on the injured list, according to Will Sammon and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Since the injury occurred while Diaz was participating in the WBC, Major League Baseball has insurance in place to protect teams in these specific circumstances. If the right-handed pitcher does not return this season, MLB's insurance would cover his salary of $18.64 million.
What's unclear is whether his salary will still count against the luxury tax.
The general timeline for surgery recovery in an injury like this is approximately eight months, according to Mets general manager Billy Eppler, which would rule out his elite closer for the entire 2023 season. Eppler said Diaz is expected to begin a formal rehab program in the next week.
“Under Steve Cohen’s ownership, the Mets have displayed a willingness to pay a high price for the cost of winning. The Mets' total financial outlay for 2023 — meaning the player payroll and the luxury tax penalty they would pay — is $445 million,” wrote Rosenthal and Sammon on Friday.
“Given that context, it’s hard to say how much saving the cost of Edwin Diaz’s salary matters; it’s not like the figure would’ve prevented Cohen from spending in the future…Still, the Mets could make use of the reimbursed salary. As a team with expectations of competing for a World Series, New York could be even better positioned to take on more money at the trade deadline.”
Although it would be most ideal for the New York Mets to have one of the MLB's best closers available in 2023, the insurance will allow the team to make the best possible decisions in an otherwise devastating situation.
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