The Boston Red Sox need some pitching reinforcement. Jordan Hicks was just put on the 15-Day IL with shoulder inflammation, and it could very well end his season. So far, they've been relying on Chris Murphy to be his replacement, as he was called up from AAA Worcester. But now there's a current DFA that could fit well in this role and could quite possibly revive his career within a month.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have just designated former All-Star closer Alexis Diaz for assignment earlier this week, and it could be a very lucky pickup for Boston.
Alexis Diaz Would Be an Excellent Pickup for Red Sox
Honestly, Diaz hasn't been the same in the past season or so. He was battling a hamstring injury earlier this season and was placed on the injured list. He's been home run-prone, giving up the big fly four times in his six limited appearances late in games.
His most notable one was one to forget for him. He gave up three home runs in just one inning, giving five earned runs in his outing. His ERA skyrocketed from 5.40 to 12.00, and the Reds immediately demoted him to AAA Louisville.
While he still showed strikeout potential, he still had an ERA of 4.21 and seven earned runs given up in 13.2 innings. In late May, he was traded to the Dodgers for whatever they could get as his trade value diminished. He was sent to the Dodgers' training facility to fix himself.
Diaz eventually made his way back and was called up to the majors in late July, where he still had trouble. He had an ERA of 5.00, giving up five earned runs, two home runs, and only nine strikeouts in nine total innings with LA up to this point before his DFA.
The problem with Diaz is his control and his decrease in velocity. Usually, control issues happen from mechanics and a mental state, of course. The same thing happened with Walker Buehler. His second Tommy John Surgery hampered him, and he was never the same again.
What Diaz really needs is a full season developing his stuff. He's only going to be 29 next season, and he already has amazing stuff. He needs to fix those mechanics and go back to what made him great.
First, his mechanics. His arm slot went from 17 degrees in 2022 all the way down to 10 in 2024, and then went back up to 18 degrees this season, the highest of his career. He was amazing with the 10-12 degrees arm slot, having better deceiving pitches that froze hitters at almost every turn.
The higher the arm slot, the easier batters can pick up on the ball. Losing that fastball velo doesn't help either, and add that with the slot at 18 degrees, it spells a recipe for disaster. It hasn't happened yet, but it will. It's already happened with his slider.
Before, his fastball and slider combo were always unhittable, throughout 2022 to 2024. The problem is that his fastball has significantly gone down in velocity, from topping just 100 mph to just 95 mph. Last year, those pitches were declining in their value, but still great, with no batting average higher than .214 on either pitch. His fastball's the same still, but his slider nowadays is being crushed, with opposing hitters batting .333 against him.
Diaz has no other pitches. Just those two. He needs to add another pitch. Mechanics can only go so far, but the quality of the pitches also matters in this endeavor. Being able to deceive batters doesn't come with mechanics; it comes with the pitches.
Diaz should add a cutter and a sinker to his arsenal. The Red Sox have been doing the same with Kyle Harrison, adjusting his pitches and command, and he's been amazing in AAA. A closer, or even just a reliever for that matter, cannot just rely on a declining fastball and a nasty slider. They need to rely on more pitches, and Diaz can improve with them, given his hard-working mentality, and he has been working on his stuff since October of 2024.
With the Red Sox, they've worked wonders with pitchers (except Jordan Hicks), and Diaz could learn a thing or do in their pitching lab. Diaz did not work with the Dodgers because they are a high-pressure, short-leash organization with a heavy amount of bullpen injuries this season. They were expecting Diaz to tweak his stuff and be back within a month, and unfortunately, he needs more time.
The Red Sox would be more than willing to experiment with him. Breslow loves those experiments because when he works on guys like Harrison or Aroldis Chapman or even Greg Weissert, for that matter, he knows their game and makes them commit to it. With Diaz, who is now at a declining velocity on his pitches, it's the best way to make him into a four-pitch, high-leverage reliever alongside Chapman, Garrett Whitlock, and others.
He could be a good pickup if they work with him right away. He doesn't even need to be ready for 2025; he can be an investment that can pay off as soon as Spring Training next season. It's for a good deal, too.