SEATTLE — Since being traded by the Mariners, Edwin Diaz hasn’t returned to his old team in a Mets uniform.
That all changed on Friday when Diaz finally returned to T-Mobile Park.
Diaz joined the Mets after the 2018 season, along with Robinson Cano, as part of a trade that sent Jarred Kelenic, Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, Justin Dunn and Jerson Bautista to the Mariners.
Diaz, who was drafted and developed by the Mariners, recalled the discussions he had in the minor leagues when he was approached about switching from a starting pitcher to a relief pitcher.
“In the minor leagues, they told me, ‘Come in as a reliever, do your job and you’ll go straight to the big leagues,'” Diaz said before the Mets’ 6-0 loss to the Mariners. “They put me in as a reliever, I did my job and they did it, and they promoted me.”
Diaz, who did not pitch Friday, debuted with the Mariners in 2016 and finished fifth in American League Rookie of the Year voting.
Two years later, Diaz led the major leagues with 57 saves.
He recalled that after the 2018 season, he was preparing to go to a concert with his wife at home in Puerto Rico when he got a call from a Mariners executive informing him of a likely trade to the Mets.
Diaz said that when she returned from the concert, she got a call informing her that her contract had been finalized and that she should head to Port St. Lucie, Florida, for a medical examination.
“Robby Cano called me and I told him, ‘Wherever you go, I’m going with you,'” Diaz said. “I was lucky, I got traded to New York with him.”
Reid Garrett returned to the Mets, but the relief pitcher did not play in Friday’s game.
Manager Carlos Mendoza has indicated that the Mets plan to wait until they need a fresh pitcher in the bullpen before bringing Garrett back off the disabled list and making corresponding roster changes.
Starling Marte signed with Double-A Binghamton on Sunday and is expected to continue his minor league rehab assignment.
The veteran outfielder appeared in two games for Low-A St. Lucie last week.
Mendoza did not rule out the possibility of Marte returning to the Mets for their next home game.
Marte has been on the disabled list since June 25 with a bone contusion in his right knee.
