Arguably the best reliever is now off the market. Reigning NL Reliever of the Year Edwin Diaz is going from the Mets to the Dodgers on a three-year deal. The move solidifies the late-inning situation for the Dodgers, one that’s been in flux over the past few seasons.
A Look at Diaz
The 2025 campaign was a phenomenal one for Edwin Diaz, who won the NL Reliever of the Year award. Diaz finished the season fourth in K/9 (13.3), in the top ten in wOBA (.234), and notched 28 saves for a Mets team that was in a playoff spot for almost all of last season.
It was yet another strong year for Diaz, who became a Met in the 2018-19 offseason as part of a massive deal that sent both him and Robinson Cano to Queens. His 2019 season wasn’t great, to say the least. Diaz gave up a career-high 15 home runs in his first season with the Mets.
However, things quickly changed for Diaz.
He got comfortable in New York after years with Seattle, as he struck out 50 over 25 innings during the shortened campaign. Diaz then notched two 30+ save seasons, including in 2022. That year, Diaz struck out 118 over 62 IP and won his first of two NL Reliever of the Year Awards.
Virtually no reliever has been able to match what Diaz does in the late innings. Over the last two years, Diaz averaged a K/9 of 13.6, fourth-best among relievers. The only ones with better rates are Fernando Cruz and Mason Miller.
Diaz got by in the late 2010s and early 2020s with a blistering four-seam fastball with run that, with regularity, hit the triple-digits. After he missed all of 2023 recovering from an injury sustained in the WBC, Diaz wasn’t throwing as hard. His fastball, on average, sat about two MPH below where it was pre-injury.
However, Diaz has done well nonetheless. He’s a two-pitch pitcher who can keep hitters off balance. He throws both his fastball and hard slider close to the same clip. Not to mention, the fastball plays up with his plus extension and low arm angle.
Per reports, Edwin Diaz will sign a three-year deal with the Dodgers worth $69MM.
Analysis
For the Dodgers, this is a slam-dunk addition.
Los Angeles has thrown caution to the wind over the years, doing as much as possible when it comes to spending money to take over the league. Given that their championship window is now, why wouldn’t the Dodgers grab Diaz if given the opportunity?
Yes, Roki Sasaki was very good with the Dodgers last season out of the bullpen. However, the Dodgers have given every indication that Sasaki will be a starter next season, as he’ll move back to the role he was originally slated for heading into 2025.
The Dodgers’ bullpen has plenty of left-handers, like Jack Dreyer, ex-Met Anthony Banda, Justin Wrobleski, and Tanner Scott, the latter of whom will likely no longer be the main stopper in LA. Diaz is a one-of-a-kind arm, giving the Dodgers a needed right-hander and an elite closer — arguably the one missing piece heading into the winter.
As for the Mets, losing Diaz is massive.
Yes, the Mets signed Devin Williams to a three-year deal last month. Without Diaz, Williams now likely becomes the team’s closer.
The problem, though, is that the Mets needed bullpen reinforcements heading into the winter. New York’s bullpen was besieged with injuries last season, and several recovery windows (Reed Garrett and Dedniel Nunez) will bleed into 2026.
Losing Diaz hurts for that reason alone. Never mind the fact that Diaz was able to shut down games at an elite clip. A bullpen with Williams and Diaz would have looked formidable. Now, that won’t be a reality.
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