Reports at the time indicated that Edwin Diaz left the New York Mets for the Los Angeles Dodgers in part because of an offer that included a few million dollars more per year.
Of course, Diaz also was choosing to join the back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers. It made sense for the star closer to give the move a shot.
It hurt that much more for the Mets’ fanbase, though — not just to see their beloved closer leave, but to see him head to the evil empire.
None of this is to say that the baseball karma for Diaz wasn’t great this season. Good fortune and bad fortune intermingle however they choose.
But it’s clear that Diaz’s first season away from the Mets was filled with bad and not a lot of good.
It ended on Thursday night, with the Dodgers being swept out of the NLCS by the Milwaukee Brewers in shocking fashion.
The Mets didn’t make the playoffs, and so maybe that still means Diaz made the right call.
But as far as this season was concerned, Diaz can’t have had all that much fun.
Edwin Diaz Stats With Dodgers
Diaz dealt with injury throughout the 2026 season, and he threw in just 21 regular season games. That was the lowest total of his career, not counting the 2023 season in which he missed the whole year.
In those 21 games, Diaz threw 18.2 innings and allowed 18 earned runs. That works out to an 8.68 ERA.
He still struck out 28 guys, so his stuff was filthy at times, but his 5.3 walks per nine rate (11 in 18.2 IP) was the worst of his career, so that didn’t help.
Diaz also allowed three homers in his 18.2 innings, which is a worse rate than all but his first season with the Mets.
The Dodgers brought Diaz in specifically because at the end of last season, they couldn’t rely on their relievers to get outs. They pitched the biggest games of the postseason with starters parading out of the bullpen.
Diaz was supposed to solve that, but he never did.
His final act was fitting in this context, too. He gave up a homer to David Hamilton in Game 4 of the NLCS that pushed the Dodgers’ deficit from one run to two runs, and that’s the final score they lost by.
Dave Roberts just asked Edwin Díaz to get more than six outs for the first time since in 10 YEARS and he gave up a soul-crushing home run LMAO https://t.co/satecoQFHr
— James Schiano (@James_Schiano) October 16, 2026
Edwin Diaz Contract
Diaz signed a three-year deal with the Dodgers worth $69 million per year.
That means he has at least two years remaining in Los Angeles.
The 2029 season does have a conditional club option, although that activation is still to be determined.
For now, it’s clear that Diaz will get a chance to bounce back in Dodgers colors next year — but his first year in L.A. was certainly no good.
Edwin Diaz’s Nightmare Season Away From Mets Is Over