The Los Angeles Dodgers made an intriguing move to address their bullpen last month when they acquired former All-Star closer Alexis Díaz from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for pitching prospect Mike Villani.
The right-hander quickly emerged as one of the most dominant relief pitchers in all of baseball, posting a 2.47 ERA with 47 saves and 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings through his first two seasons.
Díaz took a step back last year and then allowed eight runs in six innings of work this season before the Reds optioned him to Triple-A Louisville. Immediately after being traded to the Dodgers, Díaz started working with the organization’s pitching development coaches at Camelback Ranch.
During a recent appearance on “Dodger Talk with David Vassegh,” New York Mets All-Star closer Edwin Díaz expressed confidence the Dodgers can help his brother get back on track:
“I think just fix his mechanics. I think he was a little inconsistent this year. I think they have everything to help him and I think if they can find the problem, he will be fine.”
Díaz’s optimism is in line with Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes’ comments, as he raved about the 28-year-old and said the coaching staff was excited to work with him.
One issue is that Díaz’s fastball velocity has declined each season, bottoming out at 93 mph so far this year. He primarily relies on a fastball-slider combination, so perhaps the Dodgers could look to refine his pitch mix as well.
Díaz is 75 for 86 in save opportunities with a 3.21 ERA in 196 MLB games. He has 227 strikeouts in 193.1 innings and is holding hitters to a .180 batting average against.
Díaz reported to Triple-A Oklahoma City this week and pitched a scoreless inning in his debut with the team.
Alexis Díaz ‘really happy’ with trade to Dodgers
In the same interview, the elder Díaz said his younger brother was thrilled with his trade to the Dodgers and believes he will benefit from the change of scenery.
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