‘I’m doing it for him’: How breakout closer Alexis Diaz dealt with guilt over brother Edwin’s injury
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
IT HAS BEEN six months since Alexis Díaz last saw the video of his brother’s devastating knee injury, and he swears he’ll never watch it again.
He no longer needs to.
The grief he felt — and the initial blame he shouldered — in the wake of Edwin‘s patellar tendon tear at this year’s World Baseball Classic has long since subsided, replaced by an appreciation for present circumstances. Alexis is thriving as an All-Star closer for an upstart Cincinnati Reds team still vying for a playoff spot with the regular season down to its final 2½ weeks. And Edwin is in the late stages of a long recovery, with a handful of successful bullpen sessions under his belt and an eye toward pitching in games before his disappointing New York Mets run out of them.
Alexis and Edwin will reunite at Citi Field on Friday — on Roberto Clemente Day, in honor of Puerto Rico’s most revered baseball player, and six months after Edwin crumpled to the infield turf mere moments after closing out Puerto Rico’s triumphant victory over the Dominican Republic. Edwin’s knee buckled as his teammates circled around him near the LoanDepot Park mound after he recorded the final out, a jarring turn to what should have been a jubilant moment. Edwin faced a potential career-threatening injury. But Alexis needed comfort, too.
“He was emotionally destroyed,” Edwin and Alexis’ father, Edwin Sr., said in Spanish. “When they were celebrating, the first one who got to Edwin was him. And he touched him on the back. So he thought that when he touched him on the back was when Edwin got hurt.”
Replaying the most devastating moment of their professional lives was the only way forward. Later that evening, around midnight March 15, teammates, friends and family members gathered inside Edwin’s room at the InterContinental hotel in Miami. Surgery was scheduled for the following morning. Edwin’s season — on the heels of signing a historic, $102 million contract, with so much hype surrounding his star-laden Mets — was essentially over. And Alexis, who had been shown crying on the field while Edwin was carried onto a wheelchair, was still distraught. He blamed himself.
“He was sad, emotional,” Edwin, speaking in Spanish, said of Alexis. “I saw his face and wanted him to be calm. It was something really painful. He kept saying, ‘I can’t help you, I can’t do anything,’ And I told him, ‘Relax, I’m going to recover and return soon.'”
Edwin, 29, explained that he was never jumping with teammates; he was trying to avoid others from stepping on his toes while in the middle of the celebration. His attempt at doing so caused an awkward step. Alexis wasn’t at fault. Neither was anybody else. Edwin pulled up the video to show him and replayed it multiple times, pausing at critical moments to make sure Alexis understood.
Simplemente me tocó a mi, he told him. “It was simply my turn.”
EDWIN’S ROAD TO STARDOM was a lot more straightforward than his younger brother’s, as the third-round pick of a 2012 draft that was headlined by fellow Puerto Ricans Carlos Correa and José Berríos. Within four years, Edwin was closing games for the Seattle Mariners. Two years later, he was an All-Star. Four years after that, in 2022, he was a Cy Young contender on a Mets team that won 101 games, setting himself up to become the highest-paid reliever ever. Before this year, he had never spent time on a major league injured list.
“The path was more difficult for Alexis,” Edwin Sr. said. “No doubt.”
Alexis, 2½ years younger, wasn’t drafted until the 12th round in 2015. When the COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation of the minor league season in 2020, he was going on 24, not far removed from Tommy John surgery, and had yet to pitch beyond Class A. He threw too many balls, was too slow to home plate and hadn’t solidified himself as either a starter or a reliever. Alexis spent most of that year in his native Puerto Rico, working under the tutelage of former major league pitcher Hector Mercado, partly in person and partly through videoconference. There was urgency.
“It was always in the back of my mind that he’s got to show up and prove himself right away the next year,” Mercado said in Spanish. “So I would speed up the process really quick.”
Mercado, who met Alexis while training Edwin in the 2018 offseason that saw Edwin get traded from the Mariners to the Mets, worked with Alexis on repeating his delivery, using his lower half more effectively and establishing a multitude of different routines to account for the infrequent workload of a professional reliever, a role Mercado believed was perfectly suited for Alexis’ resilient right arm.
Alexis became a strikeout dynamo for the Reds’ Double-A affiliate in 2021, then made the major league team out of spring training in 2022 and spent the season dominating hitters, posting a 1.84 ERA with 83 strikeouts and 33 walks in 63⅔ innings. By the end of the year, it was clear the Reds had found their closer for the foreseeable future. Edwin and Alexis trained with Mercado again the following offseason. The goal was to make the All-Star team together in 2023. Instead, Alexis made it alone; Edwin’s injury has continued to push him.
“This great season that I’m having,” Alexis said in Spanish, “I’m doing it for him.”
Alexis has a 2.15 ERA and 36 saves, one shy of the San Francisco Giants‘ Camilo Doval for the National League lead, striking out 82 batters and issuing 30 walks in 62⅔ innings. His fastball isn’t as overpowering as Edwin’s and his slider isn’t as tight, but Alexis gets more extension than anybody in the majors — 7.7 feet on average, the most in MLB — and throws from a relatively low release point, playing up his velocity and amplifying his two-pitch mix. Opposing hitters are slugging only .349 off his fastball and .212 off his slider, the latter of which he has relied on more heavily this season.
The Reds — 76-72 and tied for a wild-card spot after losing 100 games last season — feature a slew of dynamic young position players but concerns throughout their rotation. Their bullpen has been overworked as a result. Alexis’ presence has been critical.
“I feel very happy, proud of him, to be able to see my brother doing what he knows how to do,” Edwin said. “He prepared this offseason to have a great season, and thankfully he’s having it.”
SHOWSTOPPING ENTRANCE MUSIC is a must for major league closers, and Alexis’ friends throughout the sport insisted he select a trumpet-infused song in honor of Edwin, who had made “Narco” a summer anthem at Citi Field in 2022. Alexis asked Edwin for help. The two of them settled on “Matador” by Marnik & Miami Blue, which is slower at the start, quicker in the middle and every bit as grandiose throughout.
Edwin’s fingertips have been all over Alexis’ sophomore season in the major leagues.
“He’s been watching every one of our games,” Alexis said, “and he’s been able to help me more than ever.”
Edwin was 22 when he debuted in the majors, four years younger than Alexis is today. His advice to Alexis has centered on the aspects that eluded him early in his career — the importance of scouting opponents and reading swing paths, the ability to disregard blown saves and not blame yourself for losses. Alexis, who will be 27 before the end of September, has been a quick study.
“He’s super smart, and he knows what he’s doing, knows what he’s seeing,” Edwin said. “You really don’t have to tell him much.”
Edwin said everything he needed to say six months earlier, in the aftermath of a knee injury that would wipe out most of his ensuing season, if not all of it.
His words might have set the tone for Alexis’ breakout year.
“I told him, ‘This season, you need to do your thing. You need to lift the family’s name on high,'” Edwin recalled. “‘Do your thing,’ I told him, ‘and work hard because you have the potential to be one of the best relievers in the league.'”
Said Edwin Sr.: “Edwin’s positivity gave us all strength.”
Alexis still wore the emotions of his brother’s injury in the days that followed, when he set up the three-run seventh inning that fueled Mexico’s comeback and ultimately eliminated Puerto Rico in the WBC quarterfinals. But by the time Alexis reported to spring training in Goodyear, Arizona, the following day, Edwin’s injury was a distant memory.
“I forgot about it in nothing,” he said. “I got it out of my mind quick. I remember they had me pitch in a game in spring training and the ball was coming out of my hand really well and I was like, ‘Here we go.’ And I’ve just stayed in that same rhythm.”
Alexis is winding down his first season as a full-time closer, and yet he and Edwin are already on the precipice of a historic achievement. They rank second in major league history for combined saves by a pair of brothers with 251, just 76 behind Todd and Tim Worrell’s 327, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The only other pair of brothers with combined saves in the triple digits (with the qualifier being that both need to have at least one save) is Taylor and Tyler Rogers, identical twins who are currently teammates on the Giants, with an even 100.
Edwin has spent most of his life serving as a model for Alexis. But now he’s drawing strength from his younger brother, whose exploits have helped him through a long, monotonous rehab, pushing him to the verge of trimming an estimated eight-month recovery to six. The 2023 WBC marked the first time Edwin and Alexis had played on the same team, but the two of them keep talking about wearing the same uniform again — except this time on the National League All-Star team.
“Next year, we’re going to be there together,” Alexis said. “No doubt.”
“Either he relieves me or I relieve him,” Edwin said. “That would be really beautiful.”
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David Schoenfield
There’s plenty of history in the rivalry between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. It’s about 116 miles from Citi Field to Citizens Bank Park. The two teams been competing for the NL East since 1969. Star players from Tug McGraw to Jerry Koosman to Lenny Dykstra to Pedro Martinez to Zack Wheeler have played for both franchises. Mets fans loathe the Phanatic, and Phillies fans laugh derisively at Mr. Met.
Despite this longevity, the two teams have rarely battled for a division title in the same season. The only years they finished No. 1 and 2 or were battling for a division lead late in the season:
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1986: Mets finished 21.5 games ahead
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2001: Both finished within six games of the Braves
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2006: Mets finished 12 games ahead
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2007: Phillies finished one game ahead
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2008: Phillies finished three games ahead
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2024: Phillies finished six games ahead of Mets and Braves
So it’s a rare treat to see the Mets and Phillies battling for the NL East lead in as New York faces the San Francisco Giants on “Sunday Night Baseball” this week. This season has also been a bit of bumpy ride for both teams, so there is pressure on both front offices to make trade deadline additions in hopes of winning the World Series that has eluded both franchises in recent years despite high payrolls and star-laden rosters. Let’s dig into what both teams need to do before Thursday.
The perfect trade deadline for the Mets
1. Bullpen help
The Mets already acquired hard-throwing lefty Gregory Soto from the Orioles, but David Stearns will likely look for another reliever, given that the Mets’ bullpen has struggled since the beginning of June with a 5.02 ERA. In my grade of the trade, I pointed out the importance for the Mets to add left-handed relief. Think of potential playoff opponents and all the key left-handed batters: Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper on the Phillies; Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy on the Dodgers; Kyle Tucker, Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong on the Cubs.
Soto has held lefties to a .138 average this season, and it does help that the Mets have two lefty starters in David Peterson and Sean Manaea. They also just activated Brooks Raley after he had been out since early 2024. If he is back to his 2022-23 form, when he had a 2.74 ERA and held lefties to a .209 average, maybe the Mets will feel good enough about their southpaw relief.
They could still use another dependable righty reliever. Mets starters were hot early on, but they weren’t going deep into games, and outside of Peterson, the lack of longer outings is a big reason the bullpen ERA has skyrocketed. Carlos Mendoza has overworked his setup guys, including Huascar Brazoban and Reed Garrett. Brazoban has never been much of a strike thrower anyway, and Garrett similarly faded in the second half last season. Adding a high-leverage righty to set up Edwin Diaz makes sense. Candidates there include David Bednar of the Pirates, Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals, Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran of the Twins, or maybe a longer shot such as Emmanuel Clase or Cade Smith of the Guardians.
2. Think big, as in Eugenio Suarez
Mark Vientos was a huge key to last season’s playoff appearance and trip to the NLCS, hitting .266/.322/.516 with 27 home runs after beginning the season in Triple-A. He hasn’t been able to replicate that performance, though, hitting .224/.279/.354. That has led to a revolving door at third base, with Vientos, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio starting games there in July. Overall, Mets third basemen ranked 24th in the majors in OPS entering Friday.
Lack of production at third is one reason the Mets’ offense has been mediocre rather than very good — they’re averaging 4.38 runs per game, just below the NL average of 4.43. They could use another premium bat, given the lack of production they’ve received from center field and catcher (not to mention Francisco Lindor‘s slump since the middle of June). Maybe Francisco Alvarez‘s short stint back in Triple-A will get his bat going now that he’s back in the majors, but going after Suarez to hit behind Juan Soto and Pete Alonso would lengthen the lineup.
3. Reacquire Harrison Bader to play CF
Tyrone Taylor is a plus defender in center and has made several incredible catches, but he’s hitting .209/.264/.306 for a lowly OPS+ of 65. Old friend Bader is having a nice season with the Twins, hitting .251/.330/.435. Maybe that’s a little over his head, given that he had a .657 OPS with the Mets last season, but he would still be an offensive upgrade over Taylor without losing anything on defense — and he wouldn’t cost a top-tier prospect. The Mets could still mix in Jeff McNeil against the really tough righties, but adding Suarez and Bader would give this lineup more of a championship feel.
The perfect deadline for the Phillies
1. Acquire Jhoan Duran
Like the Mets, the Phillies already made a move here, signing free agent David Robertson, who had a 3.00 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 72 innings last season with the Rangers. On paper, he should help, but he’s also 40 and will need a few games in the minors to get ready. Even with Robertson, the Phillies could use some more help here. They’ll eventually get Jose Alvarado back from his 60-game PED suspension, but Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason. At least the Mets have an elite closer in Edwin Diaz. Jordan Romano leads the Phillies with eight saves and has a 6.69 ERA. Matt Strahm is solid, but more useful as a lefty setup guy than a closer (think of all those left-handed batters we listed for the Mets, then sub out Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo for Harper and Schwarber).
And the Phillies’ bullpen has consistently come up short in big games. Think back to last year’s NLDS, when Jeff Hoffman lost twice to the Mets. Or 2023, when Craig Kimbrel lost two games in the NLCS against the Diamondbacks. Or the 2022 World Series, when Yordan Alvarez hit the huge home run off Alvarado in the clinching Game 6.
So, yes, a shutdown closer is a must. Maybe that’s Bednar, maybe Clase if he’s available (although he struggled in last year’s postseason), maybe Helsley. But the guy Dave Dombrowski should go all-in to get: Duran. The window for the Phillies is slowly closing as the core players get older. Duran is under control through 2027, so he’s a fit for now and the immediate future. The trade cost might be painful, but with his 100 mph fastball and splitter, he has the elite stuff you need in October.
2. Add Ryan O’Hearn
The Phillies have received below-average production from both left field (mostly Max Kepler) and center field (Brandon Marsh/Johan Rojas platoon). The center-field market is pretty thin except for Bader or maybe a gamble on Luis Robert Jr. I’d pass on Robert, stick with the Marsh/Rojas platoon and upgrade left field with O’Hearn, who is hitting .281/.375/.452 for the Orioles. He isn’t the perfect fit since, like Kepler, he hits left-handed and struggles against lefties, but he’s a patient hitter with a much better OBP, and he’s passable in the outfield.
3. Acquire Willi Castro
Here’s the bottom line: The Phillies have to admit that some of their long-term position players aren’t getting the job done — such as second baseman Bryson Stott, who has a 77 OPS+. Third baseman Alec Bohm has been better but also has a below-average OPS.
That makes Castro a nice fit. He’s not a star, but he’s an above-average hitter, a switch-hitter who plays all over the field for the Twins, having started games at five different positions. He could play second or third or start in left field against a lefty. Philadelphia could even start him in center instead of Rojas, although that would be a defensive hit. Bottom line: Castro would give the Phillies a lot more versatility — or a significant offensive upgrade over Stott if they start him every day at second.
Note as well: Stott has hit .188 in 33 career postseason games. Bohm has hit .214 with two home runs in 34 postseason games. The Phillies need a different offensive look for October.
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