Diaz on the Docket: A Bronx Gamble Worth Taking?
Published on: September 5, 2025
The Bronx Bombers find themselves in a late-season predicament as familiar as a worn-out rosin bag: a bullpen leaking runs like a rusty faucet. Devin Williams, once the picture of stoicism on the mound, has lately resembled a tightrope walker without a net. Camilo Doval, capable of unleashing pure fire, too often sets the whole ballpark ablaze with his wildness. And poor Jake Bird? Well, let's just say the Scranton Shuttle isn’t exactly a first-class ticket back to the bigs. This September, a supposed luxury – bullpen depth – has morphed into a glaring, five-alarm need. Enter Alexis Díaz, stage left, recently designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Dodgers, a pitcher whose 2025 stat line looks like it lost a bar fight, but whose upside still whispers promises of dominance. Should the Yankees roll the dice? This scribe says yes.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room, the October-shaped pachyderm. Claiming Díaz now won’t magically grant him postseason eligibility. The August 31st deadline passed him by like a Greg Maddux fastball, meaning a waiver claim makes him a September fling, not a playoff paramour. That’s a cost, no doubt. But the Yankees’ problems aren’t just about hoisting a trophy in late October; they're about surviving the nightly grind to get to October. Last night's meltdown in Houston – courtesy of free passes from Williams and Doval’s subsequent gasoline-on-the-fire performance – is a stark reminder of that. For a team clinging to playoff hopes, a clean seventh inning isn't just desirable, it’s oxygen. It's the difference between a manageable deficit and a demoralizing blowout. And that, my friends, has value all its own.
Díaz, at 28, isn’t some washed-up has-been. This is a guy who was an All-Star just two seasons ago, a lockdown closer who racked up 28 saves in 2024. Sure, he’s had a rough go of it in 2025, getting shelled in Cincinnati before landing in LA, where his nine innings of 5.00 ERA ball earned him a one-way ticket to waivers. But let's not forget the electric stuff, the whiff-inducing repertoire that made him a force to be reckoned with. The track record, however tarnished this year, still screams “potential.” And financially? He’s on a manageable $4.5 million arbitration deal this season, with team control through 2027. A waiver claim picks up the remaining pennies on this year's dollar and gives the Yankees the whole offseason to tinker, to see if pitching whisperer Matt Blake and his crew can rekindle the fire.
Mechanically, it’s a bet on rediscovering the bite on his four-seam fastball and the devastating tilt on his slider, on restoring the chase that once left hitters flailing like a fish out of water. Baseball Savant’s data paints a grim picture of hard contact and sky-high xwOBA against Díaz in 2025, but these are precisely the metrics the Yankees target for improvement. Remember the reclamation projects of yesteryear? The Yankees have a knack for tweaking sequencing and release points, for transforming flawed pitchers into reliable arms. If Díaz's slider regains its bite and he stops grooving fastballs down the middle, you’re potentially looking at a valuable bridge to the back end of the bullpen, a guy who can eat innings in September and, who knows, maybe even earn a spot in the 2026 plans.
Now, let’s talk about the counterargument, the voice of caution whispering about the inherent risk. Yes, Díaz has been hittable this year. Yes, the Dodgers, a team desperately clawing for every out themselves, deemed him expendable. That’s a red flag, no argument there. And no, he isn’t a panacea for the postseason bullpen woes, which ultimately rest on the shoulders of Williams, Doval, Luke Weaver, David Bednar, and whoever else can claw their way into Aaron Boone's circle of trust.
But the Yankees' margin for error is thinner than a Mariano Rivera cutter. A single competent week from a waiver claim can swing a series, buy crucial rest for the arms that truly matter in October. And roster-wise, this is a no-brainer. Jake Bird’s brief and disastrous Bronx cameo earned him a return ticket to Scranton. The Yankees have already demonstrated their willingness to churn that roster spot. If Díaz somehow clears waivers – a scenario as likely as a Gerrit Cole balk – the price becomes even more enticing: a minor league deal with an immediate call-up. Either path requires a 40-man roster move, sure, but that's precisely the purpose of the September DFA carousel: to take low-cost, medium-ceiling shots.
What are the alternatives? Hoping that the strike zone suddenly expands for Williams and that Doval’s control miraculously materializes overnight? That’s not a strategy; it’s wishful thinking. Williams’ recent struggles and Doval's balk-wild pitch combo in Houston underscored just how precarious the late innings have become. A Díaz claim isn’t about replacing them; it’s about bolstering the bridge, about solidifying the sixth and seventh innings so that the eighth and ninth aren’t constantly engulfed in flames.
So, what’s the verdict? Claim him. If another club beats you to the punch, so be it. No harm, no foul. But if Díaz lands in pinstripes and Blake can coax even 85% of the 2022-24 version out of him, the Yankees will have gained valuable innings and a potential long-term asset for the price of a cup of coffee at Yankee Stadium. Just make the move understanding exactly what it is: a September stabilizer, not an October savior. It's a gamble, yes, but in the high-stakes poker game of a pennant race, sometimes you have to push some chips into the pot and see what the flop brings. And in this case, the potential reward far outweighs the minimal risk.
Now, let’s address the elephant in the room, the October-shaped pachyderm. Claiming Díaz now won’t magically grant him postseason eligibility. The August 31st deadline passed him by like a Greg Maddux fastball, meaning a waiver claim makes him a September fling, not a playoff paramour. That’s a cost, no doubt. But the Yankees’ problems aren’t just about hoisting a trophy in late October; they're about surviving the nightly grind to get to October. Last night's meltdown in Houston – courtesy of free passes from Williams and Doval’s subsequent gasoline-on-the-fire performance – is a stark reminder of that. For a team clinging to playoff hopes, a clean seventh inning isn't just desirable, it’s oxygen. It's the difference between a manageable deficit and a demoralizing blowout. And that, my friends, has value all its own.
Díaz, at 28, isn’t some washed-up has-been. This is a guy who was an All-Star just two seasons ago, a lockdown closer who racked up 28 saves in 2024. Sure, he’s had a rough go of it in 2025, getting shelled in Cincinnati before landing in LA, where his nine innings of 5.00 ERA ball earned him a one-way ticket to waivers. But let's not forget the electric stuff, the whiff-inducing repertoire that made him a force to be reckoned with. The track record, however tarnished this year, still screams “potential.” And financially? He’s on a manageable $4.5 million arbitration deal this season, with team control through 2027. A waiver claim picks up the remaining pennies on this year's dollar and gives the Yankees the whole offseason to tinker, to see if pitching whisperer Matt Blake and his crew can rekindle the fire.
Mechanically, it’s a bet on rediscovering the bite on his four-seam fastball and the devastating tilt on his slider, on restoring the chase that once left hitters flailing like a fish out of water. Baseball Savant’s data paints a grim picture of hard contact and sky-high xwOBA against Díaz in 2025, but these are precisely the metrics the Yankees target for improvement. Remember the reclamation projects of yesteryear? The Yankees have a knack for tweaking sequencing and release points, for transforming flawed pitchers into reliable arms. If Díaz's slider regains its bite and he stops grooving fastballs down the middle, you’re potentially looking at a valuable bridge to the back end of the bullpen, a guy who can eat innings in September and, who knows, maybe even earn a spot in the 2026 plans.
Now, let’s talk about the counterargument, the voice of caution whispering about the inherent risk. Yes, Díaz has been hittable this year. Yes, the Dodgers, a team desperately clawing for every out themselves, deemed him expendable. That’s a red flag, no argument there. And no, he isn’t a panacea for the postseason bullpen woes, which ultimately rest on the shoulders of Williams, Doval, Luke Weaver, David Bednar, and whoever else can claw their way into Aaron Boone's circle of trust.
But the Yankees' margin for error is thinner than a Mariano Rivera cutter. A single competent week from a waiver claim can swing a series, buy crucial rest for the arms that truly matter in October. And roster-wise, this is a no-brainer. Jake Bird’s brief and disastrous Bronx cameo earned him a return ticket to Scranton. The Yankees have already demonstrated their willingness to churn that roster spot. If Díaz somehow clears waivers – a scenario as likely as a Gerrit Cole balk – the price becomes even more enticing: a minor league deal with an immediate call-up. Either path requires a 40-man roster move, sure, but that's precisely the purpose of the September DFA carousel: to take low-cost, medium-ceiling shots.
What are the alternatives? Hoping that the strike zone suddenly expands for Williams and that Doval’s control miraculously materializes overnight? That’s not a strategy; it’s wishful thinking. Williams’ recent struggles and Doval's balk-wild pitch combo in Houston underscored just how precarious the late innings have become. A Díaz claim isn’t about replacing them; it’s about bolstering the bridge, about solidifying the sixth and seventh innings so that the eighth and ninth aren’t constantly engulfed in flames.
So, what’s the verdict? Claim him. If another club beats you to the punch, so be it. No harm, no foul. But if Díaz lands in pinstripes and Blake can coax even 85% of the 2022-24 version out of him, the Yankees will have gained valuable innings and a potential long-term asset for the price of a cup of coffee at Yankee Stadium. Just make the move understanding exactly what it is: a September stabilizer, not an October savior. It's a gamble, yes, but in the high-stakes poker game of a pennant race, sometimes you have to push some chips into the pot and see what the flop brings. And in this case, the potential reward far outweighs the minimal risk.
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