If the two-time defending World Series Champion Dodgers weren’t already considered the favorites to three-peat in 2026, their chances of doing so received a major boost on Tuesday.
Will Sammon of The Athletic dropped the bombshell that the Dodgers had inked the top relief pitcher on the open market to a three-year pact.
Edwin Diaz and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in agreement on a deal, league source tells The Athletic.
— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) December 9, 2025
Details of that contract soon emerged as multiple sources reported that it would be a three-year, $69 million contract. In terms of average annual value, it’s the largest contract ever for a relief pitcher, topping the $20.4 million that Díaz himself set in his last deal with the Mets.
It’s the second straight offseason in which the Dodgers have pounced quickly on the best relief pitcher available. Last year, they inked Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract. The 31-year-old southpaw will now take a step back from the closer’s role and function in a setup capacity in front of the reigning Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award winner.
Joel Sherman of the New York Post added that the Mets had offered Diaz a three-year, $66 million contract that included modest deferrals. His deal with the Dodgers will include $4.5 million in deferred salary each season.
The Mets' offer for Edwin Diaz was three years at $66M with modest deferrals, according to a source.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 9, 2025
Fantasy Impact
So where does this leave us from a fantasy perspective? That’s a terrific question.
As the best team in all of baseball, the Dodgers win a plethora of ballgames and generate ample save chances. That’s awesome for fantasy production. The problem in 2025 is that their options in the ninth inning weren’t always dependable.
Scott, who was signed to take over that gig, recorded only 23 saves in 33 chances on the season — accumulating 10 blown saves. As a team though, the Dodgers notched 46 saves on the year with a whopping 12 different pitchers snagging at least one: Scott (23), Alex Vesia (5), Jack Dreyer (4), Kirby Yates (3), Ben Casparius (2), Justin Wrobleski (2), Blake Treinen (2), Evan Phillips (1), Landon Knack (1), Matt Sauer (1), Edgardo Henriquez (1) and Yoendrys Gomez (1).
Expect those save totals to be much more concentrated in 2026. Díaz will still get the occasional night off in save chances and probably won’t be used in three consecutive games. Tanner Scott will still see occasional chances against tough opposing left-handers while the rest of the Dodgers’ formidable bullpen will stumble into a chance here and there. Díaz is an elite closer though, perhaps the best in all of baseball. He’s coming off of a season in which he registered a 1.63 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and a 98/21 K/BB ratio over 66 1/3 innings with the Mets while converting 28 of his 31 save opportunities.
With as great as Díaz is though, we have only seen him eclipse the 30-save plateau in four of his eight full seasons as a closer. We have also only seen him climb over 34 saves one time — when he led the league with 57 saves during his magical 2018 campaign with the Mariners.
I’d be shocked if he didn’t record at least 30 saves and expect him to land in the 33-36 range. Combined with his elite ratios and strong strikeout prowess, Díaz could be the first closer off the board in the majority of fantasy drafts this spring. Before signing with the Dodgers, he was already the second off the board at the position, slightly behind Mariners’ stopper Andrés Muñoz.
Díaz was already being selected just inside the top 40 picks overall prior to this news and it’s hard to argue that his value didn’t improve substantially with the move to the Dodgers. It’s tough to spend a top 35 pick in a fantasy draft on a closer, but if there’s any one to do it on in 2026, then Díaz is your man.
