Six and a half years later, Edwin Diaz stands as the top find of his amateur draft subclass, the third round of 2012. There isn’t a close second.
Which makes it all the more ironic that, of the 33 players popped in that round, Diaz drew the smallest signing bonus thanks to a medical concern that has yet to impact him. But it surely will show up on his medical records as the Mets review them in the trade discussions that will likely end with Diaz and Robinson Cano moving from Seattle to Queens.
According to Noel Sevilla, the scout who recommended and signed Diaz, the two sides had agreed on the slot figure of $485,000 (the Puerto Rico native Diaz was the 98th player selected overall) before the right-hander’s physical examination revealed a bone spur in his right elbow.