Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69 million contract that initially was agreed to on the second day of MLB’s Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla.
The Dodgers’ signing Díaz to a record-setting contract came on the heels of manager Dave Roberts expressing confidence in the team’s roster and said a “big splash” wasn’t necessary. Though, Roberts did also note, “Getting a high-leverage reliever is never a bad thing.”
That’s exactly what Díaz represents as one of the top closers in baseball. He was the top relief pitcher available in free agency after opting out of the remaining two years and $38 million of his contract with the New York Mets.
That was part of a five-year, $102 million contract Díaz signed with the Mets before the 2023 season. It represented the richest deal for a relief pitcher in MLB history.
With his new Dodgers contract, Díaz broke another record for a relief pitcher at a $23 million average annual value (AAV). The Mets and Toronto Blue Jays reportedly were in the chase for Díaz before he reached an agreement with the Dodgers.
Díaz collected 28 saves to go along with a 1.63 ERA and 98 strikeouts in 66.1 innings for the Mets this past season. He had the second-lowest ERA among relievers with at least 50 innings, trailing only Aroldis Chapman’s 1.17 mark.
Over the course of his career thus far, Díaz has amassed 253 saves and holds a 2.82 ERA. Kenley Jansen (476), Craig Kimbrel (440) and Chapman (367) are the only active relief pitchers with more saves than Díaz, who turns 32 years old in March.
He’s been a model of durability, with the lone exception coming when Díaz missed the 2023 season due to suffering a torn patellar tendon in his right knee during a celebration with Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic that year.
Dodgers’ penalties for signing Edwin Díaz
After Díaz opted out of his contract, the Mets extended him the $22.025 million qualifying offer for 2026. It was predictably rejected, which in turn results in the Dodgers facing penalties for signing.
As a team that has exceeded the luxury tax threshold, the Dodgers are losing their second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2026 Draft, plus a deduction of $1 million from their bonus pool money for the next international signing period.
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