LOS ANGELES -- The intriguing news that L.A. brought a former All-Star closer into the fold came with the unfortunate reality that the club will be without one of its veteran back-end arms until at least early July.
The Dodgers acquired righty reliever Alexis Díaz from the Reds in exchange for Minor League right-hander Mike Villani on Thursday. Veteran righty Evan Phillips was transferred to the 60-day injured list in order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Díaz.
TRADE DETAILS
Dodgers get: RHP Alexis Díaz
Reds get: Minor League RHP Mike Villani
Díaz, 28, was an All-Star in 2023, one year after finishing fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting in '22. The younger brother of Mets closer Edwin Díaz, he combined to post a 2.47 ERA with 47 saves -- and 169 strikeouts against 69 walks -- across 130 appearances in those two seasons.
But since then, Díaz’s effectiveness has declined, culminating in a demotion to Triple-A earlier this month.
In 2024, Díaz posted a 3.99 ERA, and in six appearances for the Reds following a hamstring injury that delayed his season debut this year, he had a 12.00 ERA with three strikeouts and five walks in six innings. His last Major League outing came on April 30 against the Cardinals, in which he surrendered five runs in the ninth inning.
In 14 appearances for Triple-A Louisville, Díaz had a 4.61 ERA with 12 walks and 16 strikeouts over 13 2/3 innings. Díaz’s salary for this season is $4.5 million after he and the Reds agreed to a contract to avoid arbitration this past offseason, and he's under team control through the 2027 season.
The Dodgers’ bullpen has struggled to a 17th-ranked 3.98 ERA so far this season, and given several injuries to starters, the relief corps has racked up an MLB-leading 239 2/3 innings. While the club still finds itself atop the NL West standings, the bullpen is an obvious area of need for the defending World Series champions.
De facto closer Tanner Scott has suffered three blown saves in his past five appearances, but he is one of the few seasoned high-leverage options remaining on the active roster. Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates and Michael Kopech are all on the IL. Kopech is nearing the end of a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City and should be close to being an option for the Dodgers, but the others aren't particularly close.
Phillips was placed on the 15-day IL with right forearm discomfort on May 7. It was initially expected to be a minimum-length stint, but two days later, manager Dave Roberts said an MRI revealed inflammation in Phillips' elbow. The plan at that point was to shut Phillips down for a couple of weeks before building him up again.
But as of earlier this week, Phillips had not resumed playing catch. Now that he's on the 60-day IL, the earliest he can be activated is July 6.
“It’s starting to get a little concerning," Roberts said Sunday. "I don’t know how long we can give it until he can attempt to start playing catch again. I’m getting a little kind of concerned, but hoping for the best.”
Phillips began the season on the 15-day IL with a right rotator cuff strain that had also kept him off last year's World Series roster. He did not allow a run across seven appearances (5 2/3 innings) while recording four holds and one save this year.
Villani, 22, was selected in the 13th round of the 2024 Draft out of Long Beach State in California. He has a mid-90s fastball and showed a wipeout slider in college. He’s in his first season of pro ball, making two appearances in the Arizona Complex League in which he threw two perfect innings with five strikeouts.
The Dodgers are essentially buying low on an arm with proven Major League upside in Díaz, who could be just what they need if he's able to work his way back to something resembling his All-Star form.