{"id":569146,"date":"2026-02-13T00:57:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T00:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/569146\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T00:57:36","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T00:57:36","slug":"edwin-diaz-arrives-at-dodgers-spring-training-to-solidify-closer-role-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/569146\/","title":{"rendered":"Edwin Diaz arrives at Dodgers spring training to solidify closer role in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The desert was still yawning to life on Thursday when Edwin D\u00edaz<\/a> stepped out onto the manicured grass at Camelback Ranch \u2014 and just like that, spring training flipped from a warm-up to the starting line of a three-peat in the making.<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Dodgers<\/a>, long looking for someone to lock down the 9th inning, now have a closer<\/a> whose r\u00e9sum\u00e9 reads like a gauntlet thrown down across baseball. <\/p>\n

Last season, with the New York Mets, D\u00edaz posted a 1.63 ERA across 66\u2153 innings, converting 28 of 31 save opportunities while fanning 98 hitters and walking just 14. <\/p>\n

\"EdwinEdwin D\u00edaz warms up with his new Dodger teammates. X\/MasayaKotani<\/p>\n

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That performance vaulted him into the upper echelon of relief arms \u2014 a No. 3 ranking in \u201cThe Shredder,\u201d a No. 5 nod from Brian Kenny, and a top-5 placement from Mike Petriello.<\/p>\n

The traffic through the Dodgers\u2019 bullpen in 2025 was a carousel of uncertainty \u2014 veteran closers like Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates flamed out and October saw starting pitchers closing games, a surreal twist that culminated in a World Series Game 7 victory built on Snell, Glasnow, and Yamamoto. <\/p>\n

L.A. needed a high-leverage reliever. They got D\u00edaz.<\/p>\n

\"EdwinEdwin D\u00edaz speaking at his introduction as a new member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. AP<\/p>\n

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He arrives not as a reclamation project or a placeholder, but as a reigning force. His heater sits in the upper 90s, his slider wipes batters out, and his track record of dominance demands respect.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The trumpet is ready to blare<\/a>. DJ Severe has \u201cNarco\u201d queued up on his playlist. And for the Dodgers, spring training just got its newest bullpen star.<\/p>\n

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