It's no secret that the Boston Red Sox are missing a piece in their bullpen. Throughout the season, they have struggled to close out games and have the worst save percentage in the entire MLB (53.9 percent).
While Brandon Workman, Matt Barnes, and Nathan Eovaldi could end up being quality late-inning arms, the team still seems likely to look for a closer in the lead-up to the MLB trade deadline. They have started to click, especially on offense, as July comes to a close, so Dave Dombrowski may want to solidify what is appearing to be the biggest weakness of the reigning World Series Champions.
And according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Red Sox may be among the teams that are demonstrating an interest in New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz.
Diaz, 25, posted a 1.96 ERA, 124 strikeouts, and 57 saves for the Seattle Mariners in 2018 before being traded for a haul of prospects during the offseason. Diaz's 2019 hasn't been nearly as good, as he has logged a 4.81 ERA with the Mets while making just 22 saves and striking out 61. He has also blown four saves this year which is as many as he recorded in 61 chances last year.
Still, Diaz is young, controllable, and has shown high-level upside. If Dombrowski and the Red Sox think that he could be a long-term answer in the back-end of their bullpen, they could attempt to acquire him, even if it means sacrificing some top prospects.
Boston Red Sox
Find the latest Boston Red Sox news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Boston.
Of course, that might be the problem. The Red Sox have a fairly thin farm system as a part of Dombrowski's previous trades. So, unless the Mets sell low on Diaz -- a highly unlikely outcome given what they paid for him -- the Sox may have trouble putting together an enticing enough package to land him.
As our own John Tomase recently pointed out, the Red Sox may look towards acquiring more of a veteran option to close, like Kirby Yates of the San Diego Padres. Either way, we'll soon see if Boston elects to bolster its bullpen ahead of Wednesday's MLB trade deadline.
David Ortiz reportedly released from hospital>>>
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.