Diaz was baseball's top closer and will be just 26-years-old in the 2019 season
If you’ve been outside over the last few days here in the Philadelphia area then you know it’s been pretty cold and windy. While winter doesn’t offically arrive for nearly a month (December 21), it is effectively here already.
If you’ve been outside over the last few days here in the Philadelphia area then you know it’s been pretty cold and windy. While winter doesn’t offically arrive for nearly a month (December 21), it is effectively here already.
But go inside and turn on a TV or your PC or laptop or just tap your phone. That warmth you feel isn’t just from your heater working its magic. If you’re a baseball fan, the Hot Stove is fired up, and the rumor mill is heating up the internet.
One of the hotter stories over the last few days has been the Seattle Mariners willingness to trade young stud closer Edwin Diaz. It was exactly one week ago that our Tim Kelly first reported the news that the Phillies were interested in not only Diaz, but Mariners infielder Jean Segura as well.
Just yesterday, Kelly was back into the story, hinting that Seattle might try to pursuade the Phillies to take on the enormous Robinson Cano contract obligation in any deal for Diaz.
Now as a further update, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic has reported that the Phillies are indeed in on Diaz. However, it appears that GM Matt Klentak has no interest in eating that big Cano deal as a side dish.
Sources: 2B Jeff McNeil in play for #Mariners as well as Kellenic/Dunn in potential Cano/Diaz trade with #Mets. #Phillies also talking to SEA, possibly just for Diaz, as @JoelSherman1 said. NYM names would seem difficult to top, but hard to judge without knowing $, full details.
I believe that making a move on Diaz is a good one for the Phillies in theory. The right-hander will turn just 25-years-old as spring training draws to a close in 2019, and he cannot become a free agent until after the 2022 campaign. So he fits perfectly in with the plan as the Phillies put together a long-term contender.
However, the price is going to be exorbitant. Serious rumors are floating around that the division-rival New York Mets are deep into talks with the Mariners involving Diaz and Cano, possibly with someone like Jay Bruce going to Seattle.
Those rumors have New York willing to send their #3 and #4 prospects as part of a package to Seattle. Those would be the Mets 2016 top draft pick Justin Dunn, a righty pitcher, and their 2018 top draft pick, outfielder Jarred Kelenic.
Is Diaz worth all of this? If he is going to cost the Phillies a couple of their top prospects, then the answer has to be a resounding no. There are plenty of talented relievers available via trade or as free agents this off-season, a number of them with closing experience.
The Mariners are sure to find a trading partner for Diaz. And Klentak is right in picking up the phone and seeing what Jerry Dipoto would want in return. But you might be more likely to find the Phillies working out a deal for soon-to-be 28-year-old outfielder Mitch Haniger than Diaz.
Stay tuned here at Phillies Nation. We’re sitting warm and toasty by the increasingly hot stove, and we’ll heat up your social media feed with any hot new information and breaking news.
Originally published at Phillies Nation as "Mariners and Phillies reportedly discussing an Edwin Diaz deal"
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