Dream NY Mets trade candidate is in danger of not even making the big league roster

More readily available in a trade than ever before and yet he's probably not quite as worth the price.
Cincinnati Reds v Texas Rangers
Cincinnati Reds v Texas Rangers | Rob Leiter/GettyImages

There’s something about the familiarity of names and bloodlines fans of sport, politics, or any sort of entertainment gravitate toward. Would Luisangel Acuna be nearly as intriguing of a New York Mets prospect if his name was Luisangel Anythingelse? But because he is the brother of one of the game’s most talented and electrifying players, we tend to hold our Acuna to a higher standard.

The same goes for Alexis Diaz. The brother of Mets closer Edwin Diaz, pairing the two together in New York’s bullpen has been a dream for many. He had a huge rookie season in 2022 and followed it up with an All-Star bid and 37 saves as a sophomore in 2023. Struggles last season and a rough spring featuring a 13.50 ERA in 3.1 innings now have the Cincinnati Reds potentially going as far as to demote the 28-year-old righty.

The Mets fan dream of the Diaz Brothers pitching together isn’t so impossible anymore

Relievers are about as easy to predict as next week’s lottery numbers. Even the best tend to flame out quickly. Mets fans experienced it with our Diaz, when in 2019 he put together a horrendous season that had fans considering the trade that brought him to New York one of the biggest blunders in franchise history. Diaz managed to recapture the greatness first shown with the Seattle Mariners. Although far from perfect, he remains one of the league’s most capable closers.

Blog Red Machine’s Drew Koch feels the way about his Diaz as we did about ours back in 2019. Opining how Diaz needs to earn back his closer spot, he has clipped a proverbial short leash on the once promising reliever. He’s not the only one who sees the problem Cincinnati has run into by not trading him when his value was through the roof. There's a story in the Cincinnati Enquirer and a more blunt assessment from Chatterbox Sports.

A trade for Alexis to unite the Diaz Brothers isn’t anything to expect just yet. However, if the Reds lose all faith in their half of the duo, a midseason trade wouldn’t be so outlandish. Alexis has minor league options and a union with his brother on the same team could conceivably challenge him to do better. 

Something to monitor in the coming weeks and more so midseason, Los Hermanos Diaz in the same blue and orange uniform isn’t as preposterous as it once seemed. The difference: it’s not quite as much of a thrill.

Schedule