Kike Hernandez and the Dodgers’ surprise Edwin Díaz push
kike hernandez helped set off an unexpected chain of events that brought Edwin Díaz to the Dodgers after the reliever’s free agency suddenly shifted in Los Angeles’ direction. The turning point came shortly before the Winter Meetings in December, when Hernández sent a three-minute voice memo that reached Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers president of baseball operations. That memo said the Mets had not yet made an offer, Díaz was not using the Dodgers as leverage, and Díaz had real interest in Los Angeles.
The call that changed the chase
The memo mattered because the Dodgers had begun the offseason with little confidence they could land Díaz. Friedman said the club expected Díaz to seek a four- to five-year contract, while the Dodgers preferred shorter deals for relievers because of the large contracts already on their books.
Hernández, who was a free agent at the time, was in a position to connect both sides. He and Díaz are close friends, and Hernández knew the Dodgers organization well after spending nine of his 13 major-league seasons in Los Angeles. He later told The Athletic that he understood brokering signings was not part of his job, but he still told Friedman, “If you want to keep winning, this is your guy. ”
That message became a turning point in a market that was already moving quickly. The Dodgers had identified Raisel Iglesias as a target, but he re-signed with the Braves. Ryan Helsley then came off the board next, leaving Devin Williams, Robert Suarez and Díaz among the top remaining closers.
How the deal moved fast
Once the Dodgers engaged, the process moved with unusual speed. Díaz said that when discussions began, “it was either Mets or Dodgers, ” but that with Los Angeles, “we did everything quick. ” The outcome was a surprising coast-to-coast switch after six years with the Mets.
The back-and-forth also showed how differently the two clubs approached the market. Friedman said the Dodgers started the offseason with very little confidence about signing Edwin Díaz, but Hernández’s note altered the frame of the pursuit. It also connected a player who had been off the Dodgers’ radar with a front office suddenly willing to press forward.
Reactions inside the Dodgers camp
The story of the chase has already taken on a larger life inside the Dodgers’ camp. Díaz’s move to Los Angeles was linked to a bold belief from team executives that they could build a path for him to Cooperstown. Hernández’s role, while informal, was central to opening the door.
Díaz described the speed of the process as a major factor in the decision. Friedman framed the Dodgers’ early posture differently, saying the team began the offseason with little confidence about landing him. Those two views capture how quickly the pursuit changed once Hernández’s memo landed.
What the Dodgers are watching next
The immediate test now comes as Díaz is set to face his former team in Los Angeles when the Mets open a three-game series starting Monday. The matchup arrives less than three weeks into the season and puts the new arrangement under a bright early spotlight. The Dodgers have already made clear how strongly they value the move, and kike hernandez remains tied to the beginning of the story.
As the series unfolds, the attention will stay on whether the Dodgers’ aggressive push for Díaz looks like a defining win or just the first chapter in a longer, high-pressure season for kike hernandez and his new team.
