"The Los Angeles Dodgers once again proved they are willing to spend whatever it takes to get back to the World Series over the offseason, signing free agent closer Edwin Diaz to a three-year, $69 million contract - setting an MLB record for the most expensive contract offered to a relief pitcher. Diaz, who held a 3.0 wins above replacement rating last season with a 1.63 ERA, instantly provides a boost to the Dodgers' weakest group of players."
"'It's funny, the night into Tuesday morning, as we're getting closer to finishing [signing Diaz], in our suite we were pulling up on YouTube the different intro and getting all fired up,' Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told SportsNet LA. 'So much so, that hotel security came and they were like, 'We got a noise complaint.' I'm like, I promise you, 'This is a very lame group.'"
"Their decision to sign Diaz marked the second straight season that the Dodgers paid a reliever top dollar, as the team brought in Tanner Scott on a four-year, $72 million deal. Scott largely disappointed in 2025, but with Diaz set to take over the role of closer, the Dodgers have optimism that the 31-year-old will bounce back in 2026."
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Edwin Diaz to a three-year, $69 million contract, the largest deal ever for a relief pitcher in MLB. Diaz posted a 3.0 WAR and a 1.63 ERA last season and is expected to shore up a bullpen that ranked in the bottom third of MLB in team bullpen ERA. The move follows a prior high-priced reliever signing of Tanner Scott, who underperformed in 2025. The front office celebrated the acquisition energetically during the Winter Meetings, and the team expresses optimism Diaz can rebound as the new closer.
Read at Dodgers Nation
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