Sources - Dodgers, ex-Mets closer Edwin Diaz reach 3-year deal - ESPN

The Los Angeles Dodgers got the best closer on the free agent market Tuesday, reaching a three-year, $69 million deal with former New York Mets reliever Edwin Diaz, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan and Jorge Castillo on Tuesday.

The deal by the Dodgers, who were targeting bullpen help this winter, set an average annual value record for a relief pitcher.

Diaz, a three-time All-Star, logged a 1.63 ERA and converted 28 of 31 save chances for the Mets last season. With an elite combination of a high-velocity fastball and vicious slider, Diaz, 31, has posted high strikeout rates throughout his career. In 2025, Diaz struck out 98 in 66⅓ innings while walking just 14 batters.

The Dodgers went into the offseason with a clear need in the back end of the bullpen after their relievers combined for a 4.27 ERA and blew 27 saves, tied for the seventh most in the majors. The state of their bullpen was so bad heading into October that the Dodgers used their starting-pitching depth to supplement it, transitioning Roki Sasaki to closer while using the likes of Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski and, at times, Tyler Glasnow in relief roles.

Diaz now solidifies the ninth inning, with Tanner Scott, who the Dodgers hope will bounce back from a disastrous first season in L.A., lined up as his setup man. The likes of Alex Vesia, Blake Treinen, Anthony Banda and Brusdar Graterol, the latter of whom is coming back from shoulder surgery, headline what the organization believes to be a deep crop of relievers.

«Getting a high-leverage reliever is never a bad thing,» manager Dave Roberts told reporters Monday at the MLB winter meetings in Orlando, Florida.

Now that their biggest need has been addressed, the Dodgers are expected to target an outfielder,