Los Angeles Dodgers fans who’ve enjoyed the addition of Edwin Diaz thus far this season have a popular player to thank.

As detailed by Katie Woo and Will Sammon of The Athletic, beloved infielder Kike Hernandez both sold the Dodgers on Diaz and Diaz on the Dodgers.

Speaking with president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, Hernandez said of Diaz: “If you want to keep winning, this is your guy.”

And speaking with Diaz and his wife, Nashaly, Hernandez and his wife, Mariana, gassed up the Dodgers.

“I don’t think you’re going to regret it one bit if you sign here,” Hernandez said.

Why Was Kike Hernandez Connecting Edwin Diaz and the Dodgers?

Hernandez played his connecting role in December, when he wasn’t even on the Dodgers.

At the time, Hernandez was also a free agent, though he soon rejoined the Dodgers for another season.

But given that nine of his 13 seasons in the majors have been played in Los Angeles, he was uniquely situated to represent the Dodgers.

And given their yearslong relationship, Hernandez was also uniquely able to speak to Diaz.

Hernandez and Diaz both hail from Puerto Rico and have a long history together; Hernández’s father coached Díaz before the pitcher was drafted.

Now, the countrymen are both suited up in Dodger Blue.

Why Did Edwin Diaz Sign With the Dodgers?

Even with the Diaz-Hernandez connection and Hernandez vouching for both sides, it all came down to the Dodgers and Diaz speaking directly.

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Diaz told The Athletic that it was the Dodgers’ promise to help Diaz in his career that sold him on the team.

“The Dodgers told me if I came to Los Angeles and we have the chance to sign you, we will make you a Hall of Famer,” he said.

And on the Dodgers’ side, they knew they had found their guy.

Manager Dave Roberts said he wasn’t aware Diaz was even on the team’s radar until a day before he jumped on a Zoom with the closer, but once they connected, he knew they’d found their guy.

“I told the guys, ‘We got him,’” Roberts said. “It just went so well.”

Landing closing pitcher Edwin Diaz in free agency was one of the highlights of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offseason.

Now, with the Dodgers and Diaz’s former team, the New York Mets, facing off Monday for the first time since Diaz switched coasts, the star closer may not see the field.

Diaz blew his first save of the season on Friday night, and amid reduced velocity, the team is handling him gingerly, reports Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

That means there’s no rush to get him on the mound before the series ends on Wednesday.

What’s Wrong With Edwin Diaz?

The lower velocity is not an injury issue, manager Dave Roberts said, but the team is still taking a wait-and-see approach with Diaz.

“You’ve got to respect that they want to be out there. But then we all kind of end up with the short straw if the player goes down,” Roberts said. “That’s kind of what happened with Blake [Snell]. All the right intentions, but at that point, he would do it over again. Eddie’s trying to obviously make an impression, wants to be a part of things. We’re trying to kind of take that with a grain of salt.”

Diaz explained that he believes it’s related to an old injury, the 2023 patellar tendon rupture he suffered during the World Baseball Classic.

“After my injury in my knee, it’s been like that my last two years,” Díaz said. “But as soon as the season starts going, I start feeling better and better and better. And my velo at the end of the year will be what I’m throwing always.”

How Will Edwin Diaz’s Absence Affect the Mets Series?

The Dodgers have already adjusted to Diaz’s absence, with reliever Alex Vesia earning his first save of the season, coincidentally, on his 30th birthday.

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While Diaz might want to take the field against the Mets, it’s unlikely he wants to do so out of animus.

“I spent seven years in New York,” Diaz said in December, as reported by Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News. “They treated me really good. They treated me great. I chose the Dodgers because they are a winning organization. I’m looking to win, and I think they have everything to win.”

Mets owner Steve Cohen, though, has been a little less zen about Diaz’s departure.

“I did find that one perplexing,” owner Steve Cohen told Mets radio broadcaster Howie Rose. “Not sure exactly how Edwin arrived at that decision. Obviously, it’s a personal decision on his part, and I thought we made a pretty respectable bid.”