Alexis Diaz breaks silence on Dodgers trade and it won’t sit well with Reds fans

Former Cincinnati Reds reliever Alexis Diaz was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers last month. During a recent radio broadcast on AM 570, his older brother Edwin shared Alexis' feelings on the matter. "He was happy when he got traded," Edwin Diaz said, "He was really happy. He called me, ‘Hey, I’m going to the Dodgers so I will see you next week or in the playoffs.’ So he’s really happy and I’m happy for him. Can’t wait to see him in the big leagues again and helping a team win."

Reds fans were extremely frustrated with Diaz's poor performance prior to the trade. His ERA was in the toilet and he'd completely lost command of the strike zone. The right-hander even lost the zip on his fastball. Things got so bad that Cincinnati optioned Diaz to the minor leagues in hopes that he'd regain his All-Star form.

Instead, after a handful of appearances in the minor leagues, the Reds decided to trade Diaz to the Dodgers in exchange for minor-league pitcher Mike Villani. Diaz has yet to appear with the Dodgers' organization — either in the major or minor leagues — but is expected to be activated at some point this season.

Alexis Diaz breaks silence on Dodgers trade and it won’t sit well with Reds fans

It was undoubtedly difficult for Diaz to be sent down to Triple-A, so it's somewhat understandable to learn of his enjoyment after being traded to the Dodgers. But Diaz's struggles weren't a product of poor roster construction or being pushed out of the closer's role because of an up-and-coming prospect. Diaz wasn't playing up to his potential, and hadn't for some time.

After an injury-plagued spring, Diaz emerged from the IL and appeared in just six games before being sent down to the minors. In those six relief appearances, the right-hander walked 15.2% of the batters he faced while striking out just 9.1%. His 12.00 ERA was ugly enough, but when you couple it with a 14.24 FIP, you can understand why Cincinnati optioned Diaz to Triple-A Louisville.

Even once he arrived in the minors, his numbers didn't improve. Diaz made nine appearances with the Louisville Bats after being demoted and had the same number of walks (8) as strikeouts. While his 4.15 ERA wasn't atrocious, it definitely wasn't good either. It's a good bet that if Diaz showed some semblance of improvement that he would've rejoined the big league ball club. But it seemed as if the Reds had reached their wit's end and decided to cut ties.

Diaz's trade value tanked after his 2024 and 2025 performances, and most Reds fans — while they understood — didn't like the return package for a former All-Star closer. The Reds' newest prospect, Villani, is currently at Low-A Daytona and has made two relief appearances for the Tortugas. To date, the results are not good. In Villani's last outing, he allowed six runs on five hits including two home runs.

You'll have to forgive Reds fans if they hold a grudge against Diaz. His fall from grace was one that hasn't been seen Cincinnati in quite some time.

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