Mets Looking Into Signing Zack Britton After Edwin Diaz Injury, per Report

The Mets could find themselves in need of an extra bullpen arm, with the frightening injury to superstar closer Edwin Díaz at the end of Wednesday night’s World Baseball Classic game between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.

Even before Díaz’s apparent leg injury, New York was reportedly kicking the tires on veteran lefty Zack Britton, a former Orioles and Yankees pitcher who had some of his best years under Mets manager Buck Showalter while in Baltimore. 

According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets were already debating the merits of signing the 35-year-old, and are set to attend his upcoming pitching showcase in the Miami area.

Britton, a two-time All-Star and the American League leader in saves in 2016, struggled mightily in a short stint with the Yankees in ’22, posting a 13.50 ERA in three appearances. He was ineffective for the team in ’21 as well, with a 5.89 ERA in 22 games, but was stellar for New York in the two years prior and was a franchise stalwart for Baltimore from ’11 to ’18. 

It would be unreasonable to expect him to step in for Díaz, baseball’s most dominant closer a year ago, but the Mets already had bullpen depth concerns before Wednesday’s injury. If Díaz is absent for an extended period of time, that could be a deciding factor for the Mets to sign someone like Britton as the 2023 season approaches.