SEATTLE — Edwin Diaz realized some of his biggest dreams in 2016 when the right-hander made his big league debut for the Seattle Mariners and his first son was born. Less than two years later, he became one of the most dominant closers in baseball.
From the outside, it looked as though success came easily for Diaz. He appeared to be a phenom and part of a budding young core of players that was aiming to return the Mariners to the postseason for the first time since 2021.
But playing for a team mired in a decades-long playoff drought always means a chance for a trade. Almost no one is off limits for president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, the baseball executive most known for his wheeling and dealing ways, so it didn’t completely surprise Diaz when he got a call from the Mariners in December 2018 telling him they were working on trading him.
“I was going with my wife to a concert when they called me and said, ‘You might get traded to the Mets. We’ll call you back if something goes on,’” Diaz said Friday at T-Mobile Park. “So I went to the concert with my wife and after the concert, they called me and said, ‘You’re going to the Mets.’”
Diaz revisited the franchise-altering trade Friday when he returned to Seattle for the first time since the Mariners traded him to the Mets.
The Mets sent Jay Bruce and Anthony Swarzak to Seattle, along with minor leaguers Gerson Bautista, Justin Dunn and Jerred Kelenic, who had just been selected by the team in the first round earlier that year.
Diaz was the key piece in the trade, but they also sent Robinson Cano to New York, marking the end of an era for the franchise. Cano was a source of comfort for Diaz, having played in New York already.
“It was something new,” Diaz “I heard a lot of rumors about me when I was in the minor leagues, but I did realize it was something they would do.”
Diaz has only positive things to say about his time with the Mariners. They drafted him and developed him, making the decision to move him to the bullpen.
It changed the course of his career. Their player development staff felt a relief role was his quickest path to the big leagues, and he was willing to do whatever it took.
In 2018, he made a bet with manager Scott Servais that if he recorded 50 saves, Servais would have to get the same haircut as Diaz. At the time, Diaz had lines shaved into the side of his head.
Servais paid up when Diaz converted a league-high 57.
Bullpen catcher Fleming Baez took him under his wing and he was one of the first people Diaz sought out Friday when he arrived at the park. The Mariners have another All-Star closer in Andres Munoz, a 25-year-old out of Mexico who is regarded as the second-coming of Diaz around the Pacific Northwest. Baez once organized a meeting between the two so Munoz could learn about what it takes to be a top closer.
Diaz told Munoz about the lessons he learned the hard way in New York: How to handle moving on after bad outings.
“That’s the biggest thing — his ability to move on from a tough outing and a tough stretch,” said manager Carlos Mendoza.
Diaz is dominant once again. He signed a record contract with the Mets after another All-Star season in 2022. Meanwhile, the Mariners finally broke their postseason drought the same year. It all worked out in the end, even if it was hard for Diaz to see that it would at the time.
“Being able to perform the way I want to in New York, [Mariners fans] can see my numbers and everything,” Diaz said. “They can see like I’ve been able to do my work.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Right-handed reliever Reed Garrett (elbow inflammation) is with the Mets for the final leg of a four-city trip and will be activated at some point this weekend, depending on how bullpen usage and availability of certain arms.
Outfielder Starling Marte (right knee) is back in New York working out at Citi Field. The Mets are hoping to get him into a game with Double-A Binghamton on Sunday when the Rumble Ponies play in Somerset, New Jersey. The Mets want to see him able to play 7-8 innings in the outfield in back-to-back games before activating him, but they haven’t ruled out a return late next week during the next homestand.
Right-hander Christian Scott (UCL strain) will start a strength program next week. The rookie starter has no elbow pain or soreness, but the strength of his elbow and arm need to be built back up.
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