Jake Diekman might have just survived the trade deadline with heroic save vs. Yankees

The New York Mets are an interesting team right now. While their roster has a lot of expiring contracts on it, they are expected to be buyers thanks to their recent resurgence that has them locked in the third Wild Card spot in the National League. They picked up yet another big win on Tuesday night, defeating their crosstown rivals the New York Yankees by a final score of 3-2.

Left-hander Jake Diekman picked up the save, but it didn't come without a little bit of drama.

The Yankees were threatening with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and Ben Rice at the plate. But Diekman settled in and retired him on a ground ball out to secure the win, and in doing so, he might have saved his roster spot with the Mets.

(For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.)

Mets reliever secures place in New York with strong finish

Diekman hasn't had a very good season. He's 2-3 with a 5.10 ERA with the Mets in 2024. With him being an expiring asset, he could've been somebody the Mets looked to trade to a fellow contender in need of bullpen help.

However, he came through for the Mets and may have saved his spot on the roster for the rest of the year with a strong effort out of the bullpen. In fact, the Mets had a bit of a short bullpen on Tuesday night, and they needed a little bit of help with Edwin Diaz unavailable.

But it was Diekman that came through and got the job done for the Mets as they took the series opener from their crosstown rivals. He had to work through the toughest part of the Yankees order with Juan Soto and Aaron Judge. Soto drew a walk before Diekman retired Judge.

With his strong effort, Diekman proved he can come through in high-leverage spots, and his outing could even prove to be a turning point in his season as the Mets get ready for the stretch run. Prior to the outing, the 37-year-old left-hander had a 5.28 ERA with three blown saves, but the veteran came through for the Mets when he was needed most.