Phillies trade rumors: Mets blocked Phillies from getting Edwin Diaz

Mets executive Jeff Wilpon said his team had to “block” the Phillies from getting Edwin Diaz as well as Jean Segura from the Mariners.

The Phillies acquired Jean Segura from the Mariners Monday along with two strong relievers in Juan Nicasio and James Pazos for J.P. Crawford and Carlos Santana. While Nicasio and Paxos should both make a positive impact next season, Philadelphia was denied the opportunity to land the biggest fish from Seattle’s bullpen.

Edwin Diaz was a breakout star last year for Seattle, leading the league with 57 saves, earning his first All-Star bid, and finishing eighth in Cy Young voting. With general manager Jerry Dipoto looking to tear the Mariners down this offseason, Diaz became one of his most valuable assets.

Diaz and Robinson Cano were officially traded to the Mets Monday along with cash considerations for Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, and prospects Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn, and Gerson Bautista. The move immediately improves the Mets as the National League East gets significantly more competitive.

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At the introductory press conference for Cano and Diaz, Mets executive Jeff Wilpon stated that the team pursued Diaz partly to keep Philadelphia from acquiring him. Wilpon said that if a deal wasn’t worked out, he believed the Mariners would trade him to the division rival Phils.

Before any trades occurred, it was reported that Philadelphia was interested in both Segura and Diaz. Both filled significant holes in the team’s roster: shortstop and closer. A deal could have been made to send both players to Philadelphia, but it would have cost significantly more than just Crawford and Santana.

Even though the Mets kept Philadelphia from getting Diaz, they still made significant upgrades to their bullpen. Nicasio had a 6.00 ERA last year due to an abnormally high batting average on balls in play but had an obscene 10.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Pazos had a 2.88 ERA and 3.60 fielding-independent pitching in 60 outings and still has one option year remaining.

Obviously adding Diaz would have been great, but the Phillies were still able to get three good players without giving up a significant haul in return. As a whole, it’s hard to not be happy with the way things turned out.