Edwin Díaz Responds To Steve Cohen Comments, Settles Into Dodgers' 'really Good Clubhouse'

PHOENIX — Dodgers person Edwin Díaz has been settling successful pinch his caller squad astatine Camelback Ranch, but successful his first comments to nan media since campy opened, he faced questions astir his aged team.

In an question and reply with squad broadcaster Howie Rose connected Friday, New York Mets proprietor Steve Cohen called Díaz’s determination to a motion a three-year, $69-million statement pinch nan Dodgers “perplexing.” Though Díaz was caught disconnected defender by nan comments, he said Saturday he has nary bad feelings toward nan Mets aliases their fans.

“It’s a marketplace and I was a free agent, truthful I sewage nan chance to talk pinch everyone,” Díaz said. “I deliberation nan Dodgers did a awesome occupation of recruiting me, truthful astatine nan extremity of nan day, I chose to beryllium here. I person a batch of respect for nan Mets statement — players, staff, ownership — they treated maine beautiful good. I don’t person thing bad to opportunity astir them. But astatine nan extremity of nan day, I’m here, truthful this is simply a caller travel for me. I’m happy to beryllium pinch nan Dodgers, truthful let’s spot really it goes.”

Díaz participated successful nan Dodgers’ first time of charismatic workouts Friday, throwing a cleanable bullpen convention without immoderate hiccups. Dodgers head Dave Roberts likes what he has seen from nan three-time MLB reliever of nan year.

“I’m very excited to get to cognize him more,” Roberts said. “Just a awesome teammate, really bully person, loves baseball, a bully heartbeat. You tin show he knows what he needs to do to get ready. [He’s] likable, and astatine nan extremity of nan day, he chose to beryllium here, truthful that’s thing that is of a batch of worth for us. High character. I’m really looking guardant to getting to cognize him.”

One point that attracted Díaz to nan Dodgers was nan team’s culture.

“That’s really they’ve been truthful good,” Díaz said. “They person a really bully clubhouse… They’ve sewage different personalities successful nan clubhouse. They’ve sewage different players from different countries, and they each get together and person fun, truthful that’s thing good.”

Part of having a pouring cookware of a clubhouse intends missing immoderate cardinal ingredients for an extended play of outpouring training. The Dodgers will person respective players participating successful nan World Baseball Classic, including Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Will Smith and Díaz.

Each awesome leaguer competing successful nan WBC runs nan consequence of an wounded that could curtail their season, thing Díaz knows each excessively well. Moments aft striking retired nan broadside to nonstop Puerto Rico to nan quarterfinals successful 2023, he sustained a season-ending knee injury.

Despite that bad experience, Díaz told reporters it was a no-brainer erstwhile he was asked to compete for his state again.

“It wasn’t successful my mind,” Díaz said of nan injury. “I person nan chance to play successful beforehand of my family successful Puerto Rico. It was an easy decision.”

Díaz’s fearlessness is 1 trait Roberts admires successful his caller closer. Díaz faced Roberts’ squad successful nan 2024 National League Championship Series, successful which nan Dodgers managed only 2 hits disconnected him crossed 51/3 innings, scoring nary runs.

“He’s not scared,” Roberts said. “When he’s successful nan game, it’s an uncomfortable at-bat for lefties and righties, and erstwhile we did spot him successful nan postseason, [we were] really trying to support him retired of nan game, knowing that he tin spell one, two, moreover 3 innings. That he’s done against america successful nan postseason; [he’s] conscionable a awesome competitor.”

Díaz should stabilize nan backmost extremity of nan bullpen. Since bidding farewell to Kenley Jansen aft nan 2021 season, nan Dodgers haven’t had a person tally much than 25 saves successful a season. Over his nine-year career, Díaz has 253 saves.

With Díaz expected to beryllium nan regular ninth-inning guy, Roberts looks guardant to having much elasticity erstwhile managing his bullpen.

“It’s huge,” Roberts said. “I don’t deliberation that there’s 1 measurement to negociate a ’pen, but erstwhile you person a feline for illustration Edwin Díaz arsenic your closer, I do deliberation it frees up different guys, myself included. Not having to interest astir matchups for nan ninth, I deliberation that’s freeing for maine and allows for getting nan matchups we request successful nan anterior innings.”

Dodgers staying cautious pinch Graterol

One cardinal alleviation limb Roberts hopes to person successful his armory is Brusdar Graterol. The hard-throwing right-hander underwent room connected nan labrum successful his correct enarthrosis soon aft nan 2024 World Series and hasn’t sounded successful a crippled since.

Roberts provided an update connected Graterol’s betterment Saturday.

“He’s successful nan picture, but I do deliberation that coming backmost from nan shoulder, it’s going to return immoderate time,” Roberts said. “He’s successful nan bucket of, we’re going to slow-play him. I deliberation yesterday he threw disconnected nan mound, and nan velocity is not adjacent wherever it’s going to be, truthful I deliberation that it’s a slow progression. I conscionable don’t cognize wherever that puts us, but it’s a slow process.”

Staff writer Anthony Solorzano contributed to this report.