Kiké Hernández is the Biggest Reason Edwin Díaz is on the Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the winter when they signed All-Star closer Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69 million deal.

But that deal would would have never materialized if not for Dodgers fan favorite Kiké Hernández.

Hernández, a free agent at the time, played a key role in Díaz's decision to sign with the Dodgers instead of return to the New York Mets after seven years with the organization.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was given quite the pitch from Hernández, who said to The Athletic he told Friedman: "If you want to keep winning, this is your guy."

There was speculation that Díaz, baseball's best closer, didn't feel like the Mets were eager for him to return to Queens especially after they signed star reliever Devin Williams.

“I realized Edwin probably feels a little disrespected by this,” Hernández said to Katie Woo and Will Sammon of The Athletic.

Hernández had a long standing relationship with Díaz that began long before the pair reached the big leagues. Both are from Puerto Rico and Hernandez's father actually coached the renowned closer before he was drafted.

Hernandez and Díaz also competed together in the World Baseball Classic and share the same agents, Joel Wolfe and Edwin Rodriguez.

Their history compelled Hernández to intervene, with the free agent utility man encouraging the front office to pursue Díaz, something the rest of MLB felt was somewhat unlikely given how pricy the closer would be.

“I reached out to Andrew, and I let him know that I know this guy really well, and I think it’s the right time to act on things," Hernández said.

Friedman's response? He asked Hernández and his wife, Mariana, to reach out to Díaz and his wife, Nashaly, to share their experience with the organization and how well-cared for their family has been throughout the nine years they've spent in LA.

“I told him, ‘I don’t think you’re going to regret it one bit if you sign here,’” Hernández said.

At the start of the offseason, Díaz didn't consider the Dodgers as a potential landing spot in free agency. That changed once Hernández spoke to him.

By December, Díaz had his introductory press conference at Dodger Stadium. Friedman joked with Hernández that it was the first time a free agent had helped the front office ink a deal with a player.

Edwin Díaz Dealing With Velocity Concerns Early in Dodgers Tenure

The Dodgers are working with Díaz after his velocity has dropped early this season. The 32-year-old has allowed four earned runs through his first six appearances for the back-to-back World Series champions.

Manager Dave Roberts provided a cryptic response to Díaz's recent struggles, acknowledging just how significant it was for his velocity to drop from 97.2 mph to 95.8 mph.

“Everything I hear, [he says] that he feels fine,” Roberts said. “I think for me, you hear it, you want to completely trust it. But then you’re also looking at the [radar] gun and making sure. We’re sort of trying to dig in a little bit. But I think that, you know, two miles an hour, that’s pretty significant.”

It's not an ideal situation for the Dodgers to deal with, but the 162-game season is long and health is of upmost importance in October, not April.

Díaz last pitched on Friday, when he blew his first save of the season. He didn't pitch in a save situation on Tuesday against his former team, the Mets.

Roberts said it was because he threw a bullpen session earlier in the day as the Dodgers continue to work with him.

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