Edwin Diaz reflects on time with Mariners, trade to Mets upon return to Seattle

For most MetsThis weekend’s three-game series with the Seattle Mariners is just one last hurdle before the end of their brutally long road trip, but for the star closer Edwin Diaz represents much more.

This weekend marks Diaz’s return to Seattle for the first time since being traded to New York along with the second baseman Robinson Cano in a blockbuster deal ahead of the 2018 MLB trade deadline.

The right-hander took some time to reflect on his time with the Mariners, the move to New York and more while speaking to reporters ahead of Friday night’s series opener.

“I have my family here with me, it’s been fun,” he said. “I have many good memories here. I made my debut here and pitched my last game here in Seattle, so that’s the biggest thing I have, it’s good to be back.”

Diaz was drafted by the Mariners in the third round of the 2012 MLB Draft, and after spending time in the minor leagues as a starter, the organization decided it would be best to move to the bullpen.

He admitted that at first he was a little worried about the transition, but after the coaching staff explained to him that it would help him make his big league debut sooner, he was completely on board and the rest is history.

“It helped me a lot,” he said. “As soon as they made me a reliever in the minor leagues, they talked to me and told me you go straight to the big leagues, you can come from the bullpen and do your job, so I did my job and they brought me up.”

Diaz became one of the most dominant closers in all of baseball, finishing seventh in AL Cy Young voting after recording a stellar 1.96 ERA and a league-best 57 saves the year before he was traded.

However, it was a bit of a difficult adjustment for him to come to the Big Apple, as he pitched to a career-worst 5.59 ERA and 1.37 WHIP while blowing seven save opportunities during his freshman season. with the team.

But Diaz quickly returned to form despite a brief rough patch earlier this season, and he returned to being the closest dominant shutout the Mets hoped to see at the end of their bullpen.

“My time with the Mets didn’t start out the way I wanted it to,” he said. “But after that year I went home and realized I needed to work more. After that season everything went well and I was able to perform the way I wanted in New York.”

Diaz has certainly been pitching well lately, closing out seven of his last eight opportunities while striking out 13 batters and allowing just two earned runs since returning from his sticky substance suspension.

While the Mets were unable to create a save situation for him during Friday’s series opener, they will have two more opportunities to get him into the game before closing out this weekend’s set.