Edwin Díaz reaches a three-year agreement with the Dodgers

LOS ANGELES. – Star Puerto Rican closer Edwin Díaz would have agreed to a three-year contract and US$69 million with the Los Angeles Dodgers, according to information confirmed to MLB.com by sources close to the negotiation. The Los Angeles team has not yet made the official announcement. You may be interested in: Pujols bets on a total renovation and leaves Bonifacio and Canó out of the World Classic Díaz, 31 years old, entered free agency after opting out of the last two years and US$38 million of his previous agreement with the Mets, a move that made him the most sought-after reliever on the market. He had signed a record contract with New York for a reliever: five years and US$102 million before the 2023 season.

After the end of the 2025 season, the Mets extended a qualifying offer for US$22.025 million for 2026, which was rejected. If the agreement with the Dodgers materializes, the New York organization would receive a 2026 Draft pick after the fourth round as compensation.

A Dominant Reliever

During the past season, Díaz once again proved why he is one of the most feared arms in baseball. With the Mets he accumulated 28 saves, an ERA of 1.63 and 98 strikeouts in 66.1 innings, numbers that placed him among the best relievers of the year.

His combination of fastball and slider was again lethal:

• The fastball averaged 97 mph and generated the highest whiff rate among pitchers with at least 500 fastballs thrown.
• The slider produced a 44% whiff rate, reaffirming its status as one of the best breaking pitches in the circuit.

In total, Díaz recorded the second-best effectiveness among relievers with 50+ innings pitched, only behind the Cuban Aroldis Chapman (1.17). He also finished second in strikeout rate (38%) and fifth in strikeouts per nine innings (13.3).

A historic career

Throughout his nine seasons between the Mariners and Mets, Díaz has built a career that places him among the most dominant relievers of the modern era. In 2018, he saved 57 games for Seattle, the second-highest figure for a single season in MLB history, surpassed only by 62 from Francisco Rodríguez.

His best year with the Mets came in 2022, when he recorded 1.31 ERA, 118 strikeouts in 62 innings, and 32 saves. Díaz enters 2026 with a total of 253 saves, 2.82 ERA and 839 strikeouts in 519.1 innings. Only Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel and Aroldis Chapman surpass him in saves among active pitchers. His average of 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings is the third best among active pitchers with at least 500 innings, just behind Chapman and Josh Hader.