At the beginning of the winter, it was assumed that the top free agent would be closer Edwin Diaz would fall out of Dodgers'preferred price range.
However, knowing they needed help in the bullpen, the Dodgers decided to reach out with interest anyway.
What followed will go down in history as one of the most surprising results of this MLB offseason. And for the Dodgers, this is the latest in a string of high-profile acquisitions of star players.
While the Dodgers were initially dubious about their chances of landing Diaz – especially on the relatively short-term deal they were looking for in search of help – circumstances changed, the market for Diaz changed, and they went from being a dark horse to a frontrunner.
On Friday, it all culminated in a press conference at Dodger Stadium as the once unlikely union of the two-time defending champions and the three-time All-Star right-hander was made official as Diaz's three-year, $69 million contract was finalized.
“It wasn't easy,” Diaz said of his free agent process, which ended with him leaving the New York Mets after a seven-year stint with the team. “I spent seven years in New York. They treated me very well. They treated me great. But I chose the Dodgers because they are a winning organization. I want to win, and I think they have what it takes to win. So it was a pretty easy choice to pick the Dodgers.”
That didn't mean it was any less of a surprise.
Earlier this winter, the Dodgers made it clear that they were hesitant to give another long-term contract to a pitcher after reviewing Tanner Scott struggling in the first season of the four-year, $72 million contract he signed last winter.
And while they gradually became more open to the idea, seriously considering Devin Williams before he signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Mets two weeks ago, the idea of signing Diaz seemed far-fetched.
New Dodgers star Edwin Diaz speaks during his introductory press conference Friday at Dodgers Stadium.
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
After all, many expected the 31-year-old to receive a four- or five-year deal, as he had already opted out of the remaining two seasons on his record five-year, $102 million deal with the Mets to become a free agent this winter. Additionally, since he rejected a qualifying offer from the Mets early in the offseason, the Dodgers knew they would lose two draft picks (the second and fifth highest picks) to sign him.
“We signed up from the very beginning,” CEO Brandon Gomez said. But he admitted that “the opportunity to add someone of that caliber to an already really talented bullpen was something that we weren't sure we could really make happen.”
It turns out there were several factors working in the Dodgers' favor.
First, the Mets also didn't want to give Diaz a long-term deal. Instead, after signing Williams, they reportedly only offered three years at the same salary as the Dodgers. Not coincidentally, it wasn't until last week's winter meetings – just days after Williams' Dec. 3 agreement with the Mets – that Gomez said talks had begun to intensify.
“Having these conversations and making sure you're there and [letting him know]“Hey, we really appreciate you, and if something makes sense from you, great, we're here,” that was the most important thing,” Gomez said. “Make sure you explore all possibilities because you don’t know how things will play out.”
Another advantage for the Dodgers: They had defenders close to Diaz vouching for the organization.
Diaz said he has received rave reviews of the club from both his brother Alexis (who spent most of last year with the Dodgers after they acquired him from Cincinnati after being demoted to the minors earlier in the season) and his Puerto Rican teammate. Kike Hernandez (longtime Dodgers fan favorite, currently a free agent).
“They treat every player the same,” Diaz said of the message he received. “It's really nice [especially] knowing they have a lot of great players, future Hall of Fame players. … It's really good. This is what a winning club looks like.”
Ultimately, it all led to a fairly quick signing process on Tuesday morning, in which the Dodgers gave Diaz the highest average annual salary for a hitter in MLB history ($23 million per year, although with a reported $4.5 million per year deferment) and received their clearest closer option since Kenley Jansen left the club at the end of 2021.
“There's a high bar for us to name a closer. You have to be one of the best. You have to be elite and dominant at what you do,” president of baseball operations. Andrew Friedman said before mentioning Diaz's nickname. “That's the beauty of it. I think just watching him perform over the years, seeing the dedication in the postseason or the final weekend of last year when the game is potentially on the line – it fits really well with our culture and the dedication of a lot of our superstar players. So many flags were checked in our minds.”
