In MLB, hope doesn’t always come wearing a cape—it sometimes walks in battered and bruised, carrying a 12.00 ERA.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are known for chasing excellence with relentless precision. This week, they proved it again by acquiring struggling but once-elite closer Alexis Diaz from the Cincinnati Reds.
At first glance, the move might raise eyebrows. Diaz’s 2025 season started with a loud thud, and it hasn’t gotten much better in Triple-A.
But this is the Dodgers. And they don’t deal in first glances. They deal in upside, projection, and reclamation.
Alexis Diaz: From All-Star highs to humbling lows
Back in 2022, Diaz looked like a bullpen monster. Armed with a blazing fastball and wicked slider, he bulldozed hitters.
He posted a sparkling 1.84 ERA as a rookie and racked up 83 strikeouts in 63.2 innings—a dream debut by any measure.
In 2023, he took on the full closer’s role and saved 37 games. He wasn’t as dominant, but still reliable with a 3.07 ERA.
Last year, the decline began. His ERA ballooned to 3.99, and more alarmingly, his strikeouts dipped below one per inning.
This season’s disaster—12.00 ERA in just six innings—was the final straw. He was demoted to Triple-A, where his struggles have continued.
Why the Dodgers made this move anyway
Many teams would have passed. But the Dodgers saw a cracked gem instead of broken glass.
They gave up 2024 13th-rounder Mike Villani, a promising but unproven 22-year-old pitcher with just two pro innings under his belt.
That’s the baseball version of flipping a scratch-off ticket for a chance to win a vintage Ferrari that just needs new spark plugs.
If Diaz turns it around, this trade will be remembered as a stroke of genius. If not, the cost was minimal.
It’s a classic Dodgers move—low-risk, high-reward, and backed by one of the smartest pitching infrastructures in the league.
The rebuild plan: patience, data, and Triple-A reps
Diaz isn’t expected to walk into Dodger Stadium tomorrow and start throwing 98 again. He’s heading to their Triple-A affiliate first.
There, under the Dodgers’ watchful eye, he’ll begin the process of rediscovering his old mechanics, confidence, and velocity.
The Dodgers have a long history of reviving pitchers—just ask Blake Treinen or Evan Phillips, who were both transformed in LA.
It’s about more than mechanics—it’s about approach. Pitch sequencing, biomechanics, usage patterns—every lever will be pulled.
And if Diaz buys in, the Dodgers could be sitting on one of the biggest bullpen bargains of the year.
Big moves, bigger belief: the Dodgers’ mindset
What sets the Dodgers apart isn’t just talent or budget—it’s their tireless hunt for any edge, 365 days a year.
They’re not content to wait for the trade deadline or free agency. They pounce the moment an opportunity smells even remotely like value.
Alexis Diaz might not look like much right now, but the Dodgers see something more. Something fixable. Something worth betting on.
It’s not just a transaction—it’s a message. They’re not waiting around for October magic. They’re building it, one risky move at a time.