Dodgers Have Edwin Diaz Concern Ahead of Mets Series

Former New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz is not off to the start he was hoping for with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Mar 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz (3) delivers to the plate as he earns a save in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The New York Mets will be facing an old friend in their three-game road series with the Los Angeles Dodgers this week.

Or will they?

The Dodgers are concerned about their closer and former Met Edwin Diaz whose velocity has been down this season, specifically in his past few outings.

In Diaz's latest appearance, the hard-throwing righty gave up three runs and averaged 95.5 mph on his four-seam fastball. For context, Diaz's four-seamer averaged 97.2 mph last season with the Mets. It's averaging just 95.8 mph this season.

However, Diaz played catch today and "feels great," as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Monday. Roberts still has to check with the training staff to see if Diaz is available tonight.

Diaz passed all initial manual testing from the Dodgers' training staff to rule out any injuries. Roberts expects Diaz to pitch in the three-game series against the Mets if a save opportunity presents itself.

Despite this promising news, it's still concerning that Diaz's velocity has dropped so much this year. Overall, the righty has a 6.00 ERA, 10 strikeouts, a 1.67 WHIP and is 4-for-5 on saves this season.

In 2025, Diaz was one of the best closers in all of baseball for the Mets, where he posted a 1.63 ERA and 98 strikeouts while notching 28 saves in 31 chances.

Diaz signed a three-year, $69 million deal in free agency with the Dodgers during Winter Meetings last December. This shocked the Mets who offered a three-year, $66 million contract and expected Diaz to circle back to give them a chance to bid higher.

The Mets were reportedly "furious" that Diaz did not give them a chance to match or exceed the Dodgers' final offer.

Alas, the best closer in baseball joined the insanely rich back-to-back World Series champions in the Dodgers. Diaz will now have the chance to win a ring for the first time in his career, as well as help Los Angeles three-peat, which hasn't been done since the 1998-2000 Yankees.

Diaz spent 2019-2025 with the Mets, where he made the All-Star team twice and won NL Reliever of the Year two times as well. Diaz had a 2.93 ERA and 144 saves as a member of the Mets across six seasons.

He has found a new home with the Dodgers in Los Angeles. But it remains to be seen whether he will pitch against his old team this week.

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