Returning to Seattle, Edwin Díaz meets his successor ... and old friend

SEATTLE -- When the Mariners dealt Edwin Díaz to the Mets after the 2018 season, they knew they were parting with one of the game’s best closers. Yet nearly six years after that franchise-altering transaction, the club has firmly found Díaz’s replacement in the form of Andrés Muñoz, who last month became an All-Star for the first time.

Turns out, Díaz and Muñoz share more than just the same gig at different times in Seattle -- they’ve also shared an admiration of each other from afar.

“He's a really, really talented player,” Díaz said on Friday in the visiting clubhouse at T-Mobile Park. “I followed him before, [when] he was with San Diego. I watched him pitch, and he's got great stuff.”

Díaz is back in Seattle for the first time since the December 2018 trade that also sent Robinson Canó and cash considerations to New York and returned Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn, Anthony Swarzak, Jay Bruce and Gerson Bautista -- none of whom remain in Seattle’s organization.

Díaz reflected on his time here -- which included a franchise-record 57 saves in his final season -- and his transition from being a starting pitcher to reliever before making his MLB debut in 2016, a change that has both defined and propelled his career.

But he also shared his affection for Muñoz, who has become the Mariners’ best bullpen arm and -- like Díaz -- among the best leverage relievers in baseball.

“There's no greater security blanket for a manager than to have that type of closer,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “And I think I've got one right now in Andres Muñoz. So hopefully, you'll see Mooney out there two or three times in this series. That's what we're hoping for.”

And as for Díaz?

“It's been fun to watch his career take off, and hopefully we don't see him in this series,” Servais said. “That's the goal. He gets three days off in Seattle. He can enjoy the surroundings and the city and go to Pike Place Market, all the fun things, but hopefully he doesn't show up at T-Mobile.”

Díaz and Muñoz first connected in 2022, when the Mariners visited Citi Field for a three-game series that May. They were introduced by Mariners bullpen catcher Fleming Baez, who Díaz said was an instrumental figure during his young career.

“Fleming called me and said [Muñoz] wanted to meet me,” Díaz said. “So I went to meet him. ... He asked me how I prepared for the game, and [some] advice how to handle when things are not going good for you, and I give my advice to him. I think he's doing great.”

Muñoz (2.26) and Díaz (2.64) rank first and second, respectively, in ERA in Mariners franchise history, among 164 pitchers with at least 150 innings.

Both also blossomed into fan favorites during their respective tenures in Seattle, with Díaz’s stylish haircut featuring a zigzag faded into the left side of his head – and Servais having to mimic the hairdo as part of a bet made after Díaz reached 50 saves in ‘18.

Muñoz, meanwhile, has endeared himself for his exceptional efforts to learn English, which in turn has allowed him to show off his hilarious personality. He’s a jokester in the clubhouse, brings his white Persian cat, Matilda, on the road (a detail recently uncovered by Shannon Drayer of the Mariners’ Radio Network) and shows warmth and sentiment to everyone he crosses -- a stark contrast to the flamethrowing grit he displays on the mound.

These two will be intertwined for obvious reasons, and they also enjoy the fact that they are.