Edwin Díaz has agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to multiple reports on Tuesday morning. The deal is worth three years and $69 million, setting a new record for average annual value
for a relief pitcher.
In Díaz, the Dodgers are getting one of the most electric relievers in baseball. Since 2020, Díaz ranks first among qualified pitchers with an absurd 14.62 K%. Last season, he posted a 1.63 ERA with 98 strikeouts in 66.1 IP, earning his third career All-Star selection along the way. If the back-to-back defending champions had any weakness in 2025, it was their relief pitching; while the Dodger rotation ranked fifth in MLB in ERA, the bullpen ranked 21st.
The Mets, meanwhile, lose another one of their longest-tenured players, and one of the best relievers in franchise history. Since being acquired along with Robinson Canó prior to the 2019 season, Díaz has racked up 144 saves in orange and blue, trailing only John Franco and Armando Benítez on the Mets’ all-time leaderboard. If the Mets don’t re-sign Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil will enter 2026 as the only Met remaining from the 2010s.
With Díaz gone, Devin Williams is now firmly slated for the Mets’ closer role in 2026. Padres closer Robert Suarez, as well as former Met Tyler Rogers, are two of the more high-end relief options remaining on the free agent market as the Winter Meetings progress. Whether or not the Mets’ next move is adding a reliever, it’s likely that their work on the bullpen isn’t finished for the offseason.
