Former Mariner Edwin Díaz embroiled in new scandal on top of Dodgers injury

Because of an elbow injury that required surgery, former Seattle Mariners closer Edwin Díaz hasn't been seen on a major league mound since April 19. Yet he's very visible in the news right now after an explosive report tied him to illegal cockfighting in his native Puerto Rico.

As reported by Josh Peter of USA Today, Díaz is one of several Puerto Rican professional athletes linked to cockfighting events via social media posts. Two posts from February that advertised cockfighting tournaments even featured Díaz wearing a Los Angeles Dodgers uniform. The team signed him to a three-year, $69 million contract in December.

Peter's reporting also references a Puerto Rican news story from March quoting the three-time All-Star as saying the following on cockfighting, as translated from Spanish to English: "It’s a pastime I’ve followed since I was a child. It’s legal in Puerto Rico, thank God. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here."

In actuality, a federal ban on cockfighting in all 50 U.S. states as well as territories such as Puerto Rico went into effect in 2019, and was subsequently affirmed by a court ruling in 2021.

Edwin Díaz's links to illegal cockfighting could land him in legal trouble

There's more in Peter's report, including a reference to a local news article from this March that notes the 32-year-old Díaz's family entered several roosters into a cockfighting tournament. An earlier local article from 2018 reported that Díaz had fought five roosters at a cockfighting club in San Juan.

While Louisiana was the last U.S. state to ban cockfighting in 2008, Congress did not close a federal loophole on territories until 2018. Puerto Rico does not have representation in Congress despite a population of 3.2 million people. There is a history of resentment of Washington, D.C. on the island, where cockfighting is seen by many as a cultural institution.

All the same, there are legal consequences at play. Being a spectator at a cockfight carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine. Participating in a cockfight carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a fine.

Díaz began his major league career with the Mariners in 2016 and stayed in Seattle until he was traded to the New York Mets after the 2018 season. He set Seattle's all-time saves record with 57 that year, and has 257 saves for his career overall. His 39.7 strikeout percentage is the highest all-time among right-handed pitchers.

This year, Díaz ran a 10.50 ERA and showed diminished fastball velocity through his first seven appearances for a Dodgers team eyeing a third straight World Series championship. He had surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow on April 22, and is presently expected back sometime in the second half of the season.

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