In December 2025, Edwin Díaz signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers on a 3-year, $69 million deal — the highest average annual value ever for a reliever in MLB history — and he explained it in one sentence: he wanted to be on a team that was going to win. Ten months later, he put together the most difficult regular season of his career, posting an 8.68 ERA with four blown saves in just 21 appearances. And yet, when October came, Dave Roberts handed him the ball to close out the Braves in the NLDS.
The Decision: $3 Million and a Gut Call
The Mets offered 3 years and $66 million with deferrals. Díaz didn’t wait for them to sweeten the deal. On December 9, 2025, he signed with Los Angeles for $69 million — only $3 million more, but a massive gap in what he saw when he looked at each clubhouse. The Mets responded by signing Devin Williams. Díaz, for his part, cost the Dodgers their second and fifth highest Draft picks in 2026 plus $1 million from the international bonus pool, the penalty for turning down a $22.025 million qualifying offer.
The context matters. Díaz was coming off his best season as a Met: a 1.63 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 98 strikeouts in 66⅓ innings, and 28 saves in 31 opportunities in 2025. Among all pitchers with at least 50 innings that year, he led the National League in ERA, strikeout rate (38%), FIP (2.28), xFIP (2.49), and SIERA (2.18). On paper, he was the best closer on the market.
The Season Nobody Wanted to Watch
What happened in the 2026 regular season is hard to spin. Right elbow surgery in April, neck inflammation in August, only 21 appearances, an 8.68 ERA, and four blown saves. The record $23 million-per-year contract looked, at its lowest points, like the most expensive mistake of the offseason.
Statcast tells a more complicated story. His xERA was 4.6 — the run prevention rate his actual contact quality deserved, not what the scoreboard showed. His fastball averaged 96.5 mph at the 82nd percentile in the league. His whiff rate sat at 24.9% — nearly one in four swings against him missed entirely. That’s not a broken pitcher. That’s a pitcher who ran into bad luck on top of two real injuries.
The Redemption That Validates — or Complicates — Everything
September changed the story. Díaz came back off the injured list in a lower-leverage role and gradually found his footing. By the time the playoffs arrived, Roberts trusted him with the ninth inning. He saved Game 3 of the NLDS against Atlanta. He closed out Game 4 to eliminate the Braves. The Dodgers moved on to the NLCS chasing their third straight World Series title.
Now that December 2025 clip is making the rounds again — Díaz explaining why he chose LA over New York. The irony everyone expected never fully landed. The Mets aren’t in the postseason. The Dodgers are, with Díaz closing. That was exactly his argument, and for now, it’s holding up.
The Numbers Behind the ERA
Díaz’s 2026 regular season line looks worse than he actually pitched. Here’s the full picture:
- Games / Innings: 21 appearances, 18.2 innings
- ERA: 8.68 · WHIP: 1.98
- Strikeouts / Walks: 28 K, 11 BB (29.2% strikeout rate)
- Saves: 7
- xERA: 4.6
- Fastball: 96.5 mph avg, 2,332 rpm spin rate (82nd percentile in velocity)
- Whiff rate: 24.9%
- Batting average against: .321
- Exit velocity allowed: 90.7 mph
- Barrel rate allowed: 7.5%
