Edwin Diaz has no plans to follow in the footsteps of NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce and team up with his brother in the podcast world.

The New York Mets pitcher says it’s a ‘dream come true’ for their family that both men have made it from the streets of Puerto Rico to the major leagues, but joked to talkSPORT: “I don’t like him that much!”

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Mets star Diaz is raring to go for the new MLB season after a year on the sidelinesCredit: Getty

Diaz has emerged as the Mets’ top closer – the pitcher selected for the final few innings to close out a win – since his arrival in New York from Seattle Mariners in 2019.

He won the Trevor Hoffman Award as the best reliever in the National League in 2022 after a season to remember, saving 32 games for his team, and fans are eager to see him back in action in 2024 after a year on the sidelines with injury.

He’s not the only star of the family, though, with Alexis currently playing with the Cincinnati Reds and the brothers set to play each other for the first time in over a year when their teams meet in April.

And it appears their relationship is not short on sibling rivalry, as well as – like the Kelce’s – brotherly love.

“He’s doing great, I’m really happy for him,” Mets star Diaz told talkSPORT from the club’s Spring Training base in Florida.

“I can’t wait to start the season and see if we can both make the All-Star Game. It’s really special, it’s a dream come true for our family. Coming from the bottom, we played together in the World Baseball Classic for the first time. We faced each other in Major League Baseball twice. It’s really fun.

“We focus on our business but we talk almost every day. We watch each other’s games and if he has to say something to me he does. If I see something with him, I call him and tell him, ‘You did this good and this bad’, and we try to figure it out every time.

“Is there brother rivalry? 100 per cent! We both think the same way because we like to compete. He’s a closer and I’m a closer, I want to have a better year than him, but at the end of the day I want him to be good too.

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The Diaz brothers are both loving life in Major League BaseballCredit: Getty

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Jason and Travis Kelce’s New Heights podcast is one of the most popular sports shows out there right nowCredit: YouTube: @NewHeightShow

“It was a dream playing in the big leagues. I made it faster than him but in the end he made it too and I’m really happy for that.”

However, when asked if there could be a Diaz brothers podcast in the works, like the Kelce brothers’ popular New Heights show, he said: “I don’t think so – I don’t like him that much!

“If one day we have to start one, we’ll have to talk and show the people how friendly we are.”

While the majority of MLB teams began the new campaign as part of Wednesday’s Opening Day celebrations, the Mets were forced to wait until Thursday due to rain in New York seeing their clash with the Milwaukee Brewers delayed.

One day is nothing to Diaz, though, after a year out with a knee injury he suffered at the WBC with Puerto Rico, and he can’t wait to get back and show fans what they and the team have been missing.

“I think we have a really good team this year – I don’t know if we will win 100 games but I’m pretty sure we will have a great season and try to make the playoffs,” said Diaz, who played a major role in the Mets’ memorable 101-win season in 2022.

It was only the fourth time in franchise history the Mets had amassed more than 100 victories in a season, and Diaz says the current team – led by new manager Carlos Mendoza – is capable of doing it again.

He said: “The 2022 season was special for us. I think this year we can do something close to that. I can feel the vibe here in the clubhouse, I feel really happy with the team.

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Diaz has been hard at work in Spring Training to be ready for the new 2024 MLB campaignCredit: Getty

“I can tell you about the bullpen, we have a couple of pitchers who are really good. If they have a good season, we will have a great season. They can help me and I can help them. We can have a good season if they perform really good.

“We have a new manager, a new front office, we have got everything new. I think they’re really good. I like what they have been doing here. That has put us in a position to perform good and try to make the playoffs – that’s the main goal for us.

“The coach communicates with me really good. As soon as he got the job he called me, that was really nice of him. I’m happy with him and how he handles the business and can’t wait to start the season.”

Diaz’s injury last year was a source of frustration for the Mets and fans. The team has just made him the most valuable relief pitcher in the history of baseball by signing him to a new five-year deal worth $102million in November 2022.

Four months later, he suffered a serious injury to his right knee while celebrating with his Puerto Rico teammates, after closing out a game against rivals Dominican Republic to send his nation to the WBC quarter-finals.

The timing of the injury led to questions being asked about the WBC and whether MLB stars should play, but Diaz has no regrets and explained why representing your country is so important to overseas players currently starring in the States.

“Baseball is massive in Puerto Rico, it’s the No.1 sport, and playing for our country is really big for us,” he said.

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Diaz got the final out in the ninth inning of Puerto Rico’s WBC win over Dominican RepublicCredit: Getty

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But was then carried off the field after being accidentally injured in the team’s celebrationsCredit: Getty

“We have the chance to represent our nation. Every time the WBC comes, that’s something big. People follow that because we play with a lot of emotion and we want to win the ring there.

“Every time we have the chance to play in the WBC we give 100 per cent. We are representing our country and we only get the chance to do that once every four years, and when that time comes, you feel like, ‘Oh s***, I’ve got to perform really good to represent my country’, because we want to win.

“Every time when we are in the locker room, we are expecting to win and trying to do our best. And the atmosphere at the games is different too, especially against the Dominican Republic. We are really close countries. Every time we play against DR the stadium goes all over the place. That’s really nice to see.”

2024 is setting up to be a special season for Diaz, who is also set to travel with the Mets to UK shores in the summer to face rivals the Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB World Tour: London Series.

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Major League Baseball is heading back to the UK for the London Series in JuneCredit: MLB

“It will be my first time in Europe, it will be fun, I can’t wait to be there – the Mets and Phillies will be a great series,” said the star ahead of the Mets’ trip to play at West Ham’s London Stadium.

“I’m going with all my family so it will be a good trip for us to go out and explore the country.

“My wife really wants to go and my parents are coming from Puerto Rico, too. That will be the first time for them too. That will be a great experience for all my family.

“I think we have one or two days off, so I will spend those days doing some tourism with my family.”