MLB Exec Names Dodgers' Edwin Díaz Signing Best of Offseason
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been very aggressive in signing star players over the last few offseasons, adding to an already stacked group. This past offseason, Los Angeles added both star closer Edwin Díaz and All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker to a team that had won back-to-back World Series titles.
The Dodgers didn't necessarily need Tucker, but his desire to play for the team and the need for more offense made sense. But Díaz, on the other hand, was a necessary commodity, with the Dodgers' bullpen being the big weakness from the 2025 season.
Los Angeles went into the offseason wanting to address the bullpen, and they were able to bring in one of the best closers in baseball. Díaz signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the Dodgers, and a weakness of the team was turned into a strength.
However, Díaz's tenure with Los Angeles hasn't gone to plan, as he underwent surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. Díaz struggled with velocity issues before he had surgery, and he is expected to be out for at least three months.
But even with the injury to Díaz, one MLB executive told MLB.com that they see the move to add the star closer as the best from the offseason, saying LA "strengthened the only weakness from the 2025 Dodgers."
Díaz is expected to return in the second half of the season, and while losing him does hurt the Dodgers bullpen right now, it's not the most drastic measure for Los Angeles. The Dodgers are in the business of winning World Series titles, so having Díaz healthy for the stretch run is far more crucial than his pitching in games right now.
Before the injury, Díaz had recorded an ERA of 10.50 over six innings of work for the Dodgers. The team started to notice his dip in velocity, but the right-hander pushed back on the narrative that he wasn't healthy.
At one point, the velocity on Díaz's fastball dropped down to as low as 92.8 mph, which was a major concern for Los Angeles. The Dodgers allowed him to attempt to work things out, but his elbow issues impacted his performance on the mound.
However, it eventually became too much to overcome, and the decision for him to have surgery was made. Los Angeles will be patient in its approach to Díaz coming back, making sure that he doesn't rush to get back on the field.
The hope is that Díaz will be able to return to the team down the stretch full healthy, and this could provide a big boost to the team's bullpen. But for now, guys such as Blake Treinen, Alex Vesia, Tanner Scott and others will have to hold down the fort until the veteran returns.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/onsi as MLB Exec Names Dodgers' Edwin Díaz Signing Best of Offseason.
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This story was originally published May 7, 2026 at 8:00 PM.