Adding a high-leverage right-handed relief pitcher remains at the top of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ priorities this offseason, and they have already pursued multiple avenues to get that done.
However, they have thus far missed out on all their targets, which have included Raisel Iglesias, Ryan Helsley and Devin Williams. Thankfully for the Dodgers, some of the top options are still available, including Edwin Díaz and Robert Suarez.
Díaz represents the top relief pitcher available this offseason, as he’s one of the best closers in MLB. Of course, that also means he comes with a high price tag. Díaz also has a qualifying offer attached to him, which further adds to the cost of signing him.
Because signing Díaz would take a significant investment, the Dodgers are unlikely to be the team that gets a deal done with the right-hander, according to Fabian Ardaya and Katie Woo of The Athletic:
Then there’s Edwin Díaz, the best reliever on the market, who, in addition to having a qualifying offer attached to him, is likely outside of the Dodgers’ desired range.
Díaz will be entering his age-32 season, and he’s expected to sign a contract of three to four years worth an average annual value of around $21 to $25 million, based on Fangraphs’ projections.
That would mean a roughly $80 million commitment to a reliever just one year after the Dodgers signed Tanner Scott to a $72 million contract.
Still, Díaz has established himself as arguably the best reliever in baseball. He is coming off a season in which he threw 66.1 innings with a 1.63 ERA while striking out 38% of hitters and walking 8.1%.
He has also had two seasons of pitching more than 60 innings with a strikeout rate above 44%, including an absurd season in 2022 where he struck out 50.2% of the hitters he faced in 62 innings while posting a 1.31 ERA. During that season, he struck out 118 of the 235 batters who stepped up to the plate against him.
Over his career, Díaz has posted a 2.82 ERA across 519.1 innings while striking out just shy of 40% of hitters and walking under 9%. He’s added 253 saves to 41 blown saves during his nine seasons between the Seattle Mariners and New York Mets.
Edwin Díaz had praise for Dodgers
Last season, the Dodgers acquired Alexis Díaz from the Cincinnati Reds, a former All-Star closer who had since fallen on hard times.
After the trade, Edwin Díaz, the brother of Alexis, shared he believed the Dodgers could help Alexis address his issues and get him back on track.
After spending some time in the Minors, Díaz was called up to the Dodgers and ended up appearing in nine games, allowing five runs on seven hits before they moved on.
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