ORLANDO, Fla. — On Monday afternoon, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed confidence in the Dodgers’ roster as constructed and insisted “there’s really no big splash” the team needed to make.
But he also left the door open.
“I think that getting a high-leverage reliever is never a bad thing,” Roberts said.
Less than twenty-four hours later, and for the second straight winter, the top closer on the market is bound for Los Angeles as longtime Mets closer Edwin Díaz agreed to a three-year, $69 million deal with the reigning champions.
By offering Díaz the highest average annual value ever for a reliever, the Dodgers managed to fill their most obvious need and secure one of the game’s most overpowering late-inning arms without needing to offer a fourth or fifth year. Last year, the Dodgers signed Tanner Scott for four years and $72 million.
Díaz has been one of the game’s most dominant closers for most of the last decade. He was an All-Star in his final season in Seattle in 2018, when he saved 57 games for the Mariners, before getting traded to the Mets in 2019. Díaz enjoyed his best year in Queens in an All-Star 2022 season before suffering a devastating knee injury in the World Baseball Classic that wiped out his 2023 season.
Another year removed from that injury, Diaz was an All-Star for the third time in his career in 2025. His 1.63 ERA led all qualified National League relievers, and while his velocity and whiff rates weren’t what they were prior to his injury, he still ranked second among all MLB relievers in strikeout rate and remains among the game’s elite ninth-inning options.
What’s Next For the Dodgers
The Dodgers seemed content to exercise more constraint and be more selective this winter after another offseason spending spree helped them to a second straight World Series title.
“We’ve been very aggressive the last couple offseasons,” general manager Brandon Gomes said Monday at the winter meetings. “There’s not as many clear paths to make the team meaningfully better.”
With Díaz, though, they clearly found a path.
“If there’s something that we need to do that’s aggressive, we feel like it makes sense for us, then obviously we’ll do it,” Gomes said.
The Dodgers now have more late-inning stability after a poor start to Scott’s four-year, $72 million deal began poorly. Scott had a 4.74 ERA and did not appear during the Dodgers’ postseason run, but Roberts said Scott “never felt right all year” physically and expressed confidence in a bounceback.
The Dodgers could continue finding more pieces to fill out the bullpen or shift their attention to the outfield. A reunion with Cody Bellinger would still make sense, but the trade market could also reap rewards and help their aging roster get younger.
Gomes said Monday “it doesn’t feel likely” that the Dodgers will trade off of their big-league roster to acquire more help. In regards to rumors of potentially trading Teoscar Hernandez, specifically: “That’s not something we anticipate at all.”
What’s Next For the Mets
(Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
They need to get to work quickly.
A year ago, the Mets poached the clear-cut top free agent from the Yankees. This winter, they’ve yet to sign any of the top free agents and have now lost their best closer to the reigning champs.
They did add Devin Williams, which helps ease the pain of losing Díaz maybe ever so slightly, but there’s a ton of work ahead for David Stearns and the Mets to build a better roster this year after a stunningly disappointing end to the 2025 season.
They could go a lot of directions in an effort to do that, and most of the top free agents remain on the board even after Díaz departed to the Dodgers and Kyle Schwarber returned to the Phillies. Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Bo Bichette, Cody Bellinger and Pete Alonso are all still available to add pop to the lineup. Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Tatsuya Imai and Michael King are all among the top starters available, and the Mets could use another frontline arm, be it in free agency or on the trade market.
Time is ticking.
What’s Next For the Closer Market
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Much like it was as the deadline, this has been one of the most active position groups early in free agency.
With Díaz now with the Dodgers, Williams going to the Mets, Ryan Helsley signing with the Orioles and Raisel Iglesias returning to the Braves, the clear top relief arm still on the board is Robert Suarez, who led the National League with 40 saves last year in San Diego.
Luke Weaver, Kenley Jansen, Kyle Finnegan, Brad Keller and Seranthony Dominguez are among the many other options.
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.
