Obviously, the Dodgers are in far greater need of bullpen reinforcements than the Angels. After all, their billion-dollar roster is stuck with options like Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, former Angels icon Luis García, Ben Casparius, Evan Phillips, Kirby Yates, Michael Kopech on the mend, and roughly seventeen other interesting arms.
The Angels, on the other hand, are only saddled with the worst bullpen in baseball. Why would they possibly need a 28-year-old former All-Star with strong baseball roots who notched 65 saves against just seven blown saves from 2023 to 2024?
The Dodgers are acquiring reliever Alexis Diaz in a trade with the Reds, sources say. Mike Villani, a 13th round pick by the Dodgers in the 2024 draft, is going to the Reds. @JonHeyman and @joelsherman1 were on it.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) May 29, 2025
Dodgers beat Angels to the punch on buy-low bullpen upgrade in trade with Reds
According to Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of The New York Post, the Dodgers have acquired reliever Alexis Díaz from the Reds. In return, Cincinnati receives 22-year-old pitching prospect Mike Villani — a player who wasn’t even ranked among the Dodgers’ top 30 prospects.
Villani, a 13th-round pick in the 2024 draft, has thrown just two innings this season at the rookie-ball level. This trade clearly signals the Reds were simply looking to move on from Díaz, who had spent most of the season outrighted to Triple-A Louisville.
Díaz, once the Reds’ closer, last appeared in a big-league game on April 30, allowing four home runs over just eight innings this season. While two disastrous outings skewed his numbers, he was effective in his other four appearances.
At Triple-A Louisville, he’s posted underwhelming stats — a 4.61 ERA, 5.80 FIP, and 1.90 WHIP over 13.2 innings. Still, he fits the mold of a pitcher who could benefit from a new environment and might end up being a steal for Los Angeles.
Was this a salary dump by the Reds? Not really — Díaz is still under team control for two more arbitration-eligible seasons and only earning $4.5 million. Could the Angels have made this move? Absolutely. GM Perry Minasian has cycled through countless relievers trying to patch together a bullpen, and this would’ve been a straightforward upgrade.
It’s hard to argue that Díaz wouldn’t outperform current options like Connor Brogdon, Héctor Neris, or Hunter Strickland. With a bullpen featuring Kenley Jansen, Robert Stephenson, Ryan Zeferjahn, Brock Burke, and Reid Detmers, Díaz might’ve flourished in Anaheim.
Seeing a division rival land Edwin Díaz’s brother — who has arguably been better in recent years — at such a low cost is a tough pill to swallow for Angels fans.
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