5 trade destinations for Alexis Diaz as Terry Francona looks to revamp Reds bullpen

The Cincinnati Reds bullpen is undergoing a facelift of sorts this season. Alexis Diaz, who'd been the Reds closer for the past two seasons, is a shell of his former self. Diaz has always had command and control issues, but they're much more pronounced this season. Diaz allowed four stolen bases on Monday night in Miami, and the writing is on the wall. His time in Cincinnati is coming to an end.

The Reds have anointed Emilio Pagán as the team's closer for now, and Graham Ashcraft could be in line to take over those duties in the near future. Young flamethrowing prospects like Luis Mey and Zach Maxwell are also on the shortlist, and Tony Santillan could be in the conversation as well. In short, the odds of Diaz returning to the back of the Reds bullpen are slim to none.

While selling low on Diaz is certainly disappointing, there's bound to be a couple teams who believe they can rehab his now shattered confidence. The right-hander was an All-Star back in 2023, so his trade value isn't completely sunken—not yet anyway. Nevertheless, Cincinnati may need to act quickly, and capitalize on his fading trade value before he heads out to the mound again.

5 trade destinations for Alexis Diaz as Terry Francona looks to revamp Reds bullpen

Baltimore Orioles

While Reds fans may disagree, the number of contending teams lining up to trade for a former All-Star closer could get quite long. Few contenders have endured a more perplexing start to the 2025 season than the Baltimore Orioles. With a deep farm system and one of the worst bullpen ERA's in the league, the O's seem like a likely trade partner for the Reds reliever.

New York Mets

This has been talked about for years, and if there was ever a fanbase that actually wanted to see their favorite team trade for Diaz, it's the New York Mets. Diaz's older brother Edwin pitches for the Mets, and he's off to an awful start this season as well. Perhaps having the Diaz brothers together in New York's bullpen would be good for both of them. If Cincy truly does look to trade Diaz this season, the Mets should be on the shortlist.

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies represents another contender whose relief corps has been absolutely pitiful this season. Philly is looking to finally get over the hump and make it back to the World Series, and adding Diaz to a talented group that already features Jose Alvarado, Jordan Romano, and Matt Strahm could help. Former Reds assistant pitching coach Caleb Cotham is also part of the Phillies' coaching staff, and that could factor into the equation.

Los Angeles Angels

A surprise entrant to the Diaz sweepstakes could be the Los Angeles Angels. The Halos have emerged as one of the biggest shockers during the early-going this season, but their bullpen leaves a lot to be desired. LA has blown four saves already this season and has an unsightly ERA north of 5.00. Angels' relievers don't really possess strikeout stuff, so adding an arm like Diaz's could give them a hurler with that type of repertoire.

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals were one of the trendy picks to make the MLB Postseason this year, but Davey Martinez's bullpen has the highest ERA in all of baseball. The Nats are in the middle of a rebuild, but with multiple minor-league options and years of team control remaining, Diaz could represent a high-upside play for a team who's currently running out Eduardo Salazar, Jorge Lopez, and former Reds reliever Lucas Sims on a nightly basis.

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