LOS ANGELES, CA—In retrospect, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ signing of top free-agent closer Edwin Díaz was surprising, as, leading up to the annual Winter Meetings, the Dodgers’ interest was reportedly low in the totum pool for the star closer.
However, after the New York Mets, Díaz’s former team, swept in on the Devin Williams free agent market, the Dodgers took advantage, striking a record-breaking 3-year, $69 million deal with Díaz, making him the team’s new closer in the process.
Nevertheless, as the offseason ends, Mets owner Steve Cohen expressed confusion about Díaz’s decision to sign with the Dodgers, especially given the contract offers from both teams, in an interview with Howie Rose.
“I did find that one perplexing. Not sure exactly how Edwin arrived at that decision. Obviously, it’s a personal decision on his part. I felt we made a pretty respectable bid, and I could argue our bid might’ve been better than the Dodgers when you have that fourth conditional year, that I don’t think people were really talking about, in his contract. He made his decision.
“And I’ll tell you something, when it was getting pretty hot and heavy when this was coming down, I felt pretty good about the fact that we had signed Devin Williams. I described it to David was, that was pretty clever because it was a good hedge in case it was an unfavorable outcome with Edwin.”
Díaz had anchored the Mets’ bullpen since 2019, posting 28 saves with a 1.63 ERA over 62 outings last season. Despite some uneven stretches and the lost 2023 campaign due to a severe knee injury in the World Baseball Classic, he leaves New York with 144 saves and a 2.93 ERA across 332 appearances.
Following his success, Díaz chose to forgo the last two years of his 5-year, $102 million extension with the Mets, signed in November 2022. While his decision to opt out was widely expected, the Mets also extended a $22.025 million qualifying offer for 2026, which was predictably declined.
As the media cycle goes, with the Dodgers now offically reporting to Camelback Ranch in Arizona, Díaz was asked about his former boss’s comments.
“It’s a market I was in. I was a free agent, so I got the chance to talk with everyone. And I think the Dodgers did a great job recruiting me.
“I have a lot of respect for the Mets organization, players, staff, ownership. They treated me really good. I don’t have anything bad to say about them. But at the end of the day, I’m here. This is a new journey for me and I’m happy to be with the Dodgers so let’s see how it goes.”
As for the Dodgers and their manager Dave Roberts, the team couldn’t be more excited to add Díaz’s talents to their bullpen, which, despite winning their second straight World Seri title, struggled in the 9th inning after a down season from left-hander Tanner Scott.
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
Related