A scout for the Seattle Mariners, Noel Sevilla, who originally signed Edwin Diaz, told Ken Davidoff of the New York Post after the Mets acquired him one thing about the closer: “He has a big set of cojones.”
Upon asking Diaz about that, the righty told Davidoff: “You have to be like that. Play hard, try to win every day. That’s my mindset. I think that’s why he said, ‘Big cojones,’ because I like to win every day.”
Diaz, 25 next month, broke out last year as Seattle’s closer, registering a 1.96 ERA, 1.61 FIP, 0.791 WHIP and 15.2 K/9 with a league leading 57 saves.
Earlier this week, Diaz told Mike Puma of the New York Post that he was surprised he was traded to New York this winter.
“I was expecting to be with them because they told me they would not trade me,” Diaz said Wednesday. “I was surprised when they called me and told me I got traded to the Mets.”
However, Diaz added per Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News that it’s the same game, just in a different place.
“I got surprised when they called me and I got traded to the Mets. But I take that as a positive,” he said. “They helped me, they gave me the opportunity to play baseball. So now, I know this business. And I’m happy to be here.”
Sevilla told Davidoff that he doesn’t foresee New York being an issue for Diaz.
“He thrives under that pressure,” Sevilla said. “New York won’t be a problem for him. He’ll look forward to being on that stage. He’s going to handle it well.”
Mets’ manager Mickey Callaway is happy to have a stud reliever on his team and thinks he’ll bring a fiery presence to the back end of New York’s bullpen
“He is going to pump his fist when he gets a save,” manager Mickey Callaway said, according to Puma. “He’s a high-energy guy, you saw the smile when you were talking to him. He’s a terrific kid and he’s a young kid. He’s going to soak up things from Familia. He’s going to lean on Robinson about New York and what to expect, and he’s going to go out there and he’s going to throw the ball very hard and have a nasty slider, and it’s going to be fun to watch.”
And those “big cojones”?
“I have it,” he said. “I will demonstrate it this season.”
