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The Los Angeles Dodgers, the reigning two-time World Series champions, have landed the top closer on the free-agent market. Righty Edwin Díaz will join Los Angeles on a three-year contract worth $69 million, CBS Sports has confirmed. The team has not yet announced the signing.

The bullpen was a sore spot for the Dodgers all year in 2025, with Tanner Scott, last offseason's high-priced bullpen pickup, proving unreliable and home run prone. Roki Sasaki was the team's primary closer in the postseason, though when push came to shove in Game 7 of the World Series, Yoshinobu Yamamoto was asked to get the final eight outs on zero days' rest (spoiler alert: it worked).

Díaz will, in theory, give the Dodgers a more stable hand in the ninth inning. L.A.'s bullpen currently looks like this at the moment:

At $23 million per year, Díaz's new contract breaks his own record for the highest average annual salary for a reliever. He averaged $20.4 million a year on his previous deal with the New York Mets. No other reliever has crossed the $20 million per year threshold yet. Houston Astros closer Josh Hader has the highest non-Díaz average salary at $19 million annually.   

Díaz, 32 in March, walked away from two years and $38 million when he used an opt out in his contract with the Mets to test free agency. We ranked Díaz as the 15th-best free agent available this offseason, and the best free-agent reliever. Here's the write-up:

Díaz's second season back from the ruptured patellar tendon he suffered during the 2023 World Baseball Classic went better than the first. His fastball is still down two ticks from before, but that just means it's 97 mph instead of 99 mph. Besides, the heater plays faster than that because of how far he gets down the mound, creating more than seven feet of separation from his release point to the pitching rubber. Díaz's slider remains elite, with opponents hitting just .179 against it with a .269 slugging percentage and a 44% whiff rate. He's going to get paid extremely well for a reliever again and he ought to remain a well-above-average closer for at least a few more seasons.

This past season Díaz, a three-time All-Star, went 28 for 31 in save chances and threw 66 ⅓ innings with a 1.63 ERA and 98 strikeouts. He excels at the two things you want from a late-inning reliever: strikeouts and limiting home runs. Since 2021, Díaz has allowed 17 home runs in 244 ⅔ innings, or one every 14 innings, give or take.

The Mets signed Devin Williams to a three-year, $51 million contract last month. The club reportedly maintained interest in Díaz even after bringing in Williams, though now it's pretty well set in stone Williams will take over closing duties. With or without Díaz, the Mets needed to improve their bullpen this winter. That still figures to be a top priority the rest of the way.

Díaz declined the $22.025 million qualifying offer last month. The Dodgers will surrender their second- and fifth-highest 2026 draft picks, plus $1 million in 2027 international bonus pool money, to complete the signing. The Mets will receive a compensation draft pick after the fourth round for losing Díaz.