The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired former All-Star closer Alexis Diaz from the Cincinnati Reds, it was announced Thursday.
In exchange, the Dodgers are sending minor league reliever Mike Villani, their 13th-round pick last summer, to the Reds.
Diaz, the younger brother of New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz, burst onto the scene in 2022 and 2023, posting a 2.47 ERA while collecting 47 saves and striking out 169 batters in 131 innings. His numbers tailed off in 2024, with his ERA rising to 3.99 and his strikeout rate dropping by nearly 10 percentage points.
Diaz began this season by allowing eight runs in six innings, during which he struck out only three batters. His average fastball velocity dropped for the fourth straight year, from 95.7 mph to 93 mph.
After being optioned to Triple-A on May 1, Diaz's numbers haven't been much better. In 14 appearances with the Louisville Bats, Diaz, 28, has posted a 4.61 ERA with 12 walks in 13â…” innings.
The Dodgers plan to initially send Diaz to their spring training facility in Glendale, Arizona, to try to get him right.
The hope is that he'll eventually reinforce a needy group, as the Dodgers currently have five high-leverage relievers on the injured list: Brusdar Graterol, Michael Kopech, Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates and Evan Phillips, who was transferred to the 60-day IL in order to fit Diaz onto the 40-man roster.
Edgardo Henriquez, who can throw his fastball in the triple digits, and Michael Grove, who has appeared in 64 games over the past three years, are also hurt.
All seven of them are right-handed, like Diaz. At the moment, the only right-handed reliever the Dodgers trust to hold leads seems to be Ben Casparius.
