The Los Angeles Dodgers may need pulled a quick one as soon as once more.
In response to sources, the Dodgers have acquired hard-throwing reliever Alexis Diaz from the Cincinnati Reds in trade for Mike Villani, a Thirteenth-round decide from their 2024 draft class.
On paper, that is textbook Dodgers: take a high-upside, electric-armed nearer and plug him right into a machine that simply retains buzzing. Diaz, 28, the youthful brother of New York Mets nearer Edwin Diaz, was an All-Star in 2023, saving 37 video games with a 3.07 ERA and 86 strikeouts throughout 67.1 innings.
In 4 seasons with Cincinnati, he’s compiled 75 saves and a 3.21 ERA, together with his tough 2025 of a 12.00 ERA in six appearances earlier than being despatched right down to Triple-A. His wipeout slider and rising fastball as soon as made him one of many NL’s most feared relievers.
So, why would the Dodgers, recognized for calculated, value-based strikes, roll the cube on a reliever who’s seemed shaky of late? Merely, the upside is there.
Díaz nonetheless has the stuff — it simply wants fine-tuning. And if there’s any group geared up to assist a pitcher rediscover his type, it’s the Dodgers. If Diaz regains his 2022–23 type, he might turn out to be a essential bullpen piece in October.
The deal is daring, barely puzzling and undeniably Dodgers. It’d fizzle out, or it would simply be the form of stealth transfer we glance again on because the turning level of their playoff run to assist Los Angeles repeat as World Collection Champions.
