The Los Angeles Dodgers once again proved they are willing to spend whatever it takes to get back to the World Series over the offseason, signing free agent closer Edwin Diaz to a three-year, $69 million contract — setting an MLB record for the most expensive contract offered to a relief pitcher.
Diaz, who held a 3.0 wins above replacement rating last season with a 1.63 ERA, instantly provides a boost to the Dodgers’ weakest group of players. With a reliable closer secured, the oft-maligned Dodger bullpen should see significant improvement over last season, when it ranked in the bottom third of Major League Baseball in team bullpen ERA.
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Diaz’s signing came as a bit of a surprise, as the news came just days after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts downplayed the team’s plans on taking any big swings during free agency.
Their decision to sign Diaz marked the second straight season that the Dodgers paid a reliever top dollar, as the team brought in Tanner Scott on a four-year, $72 million deal. Scott largely disappointed in 2025, but with Diaz set to take over the role of closer, the Dodgers have optimism that the 31-year-old will bounce back in 2026.
Just as many Dodgers fans celebrated Diaz’s signing, the Dodgers front office was equally as excited, blaring Diaz’s iconic walk up song, “Narco” by Timmy Trumpet, while staying at a hotel in Orlando for the MLB Winter Meetings.
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“It’s funny, the night into Tuesday morning, as we’re getting closer to finishing [signing Diaz], in our suite we were pulling up on YouTube the different intro and getting all fired up,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told SportsNet LA. “So much so, that hotel security came and they were like, ‘We got a noise complaint.’ I’m like, I promise you, ‘This is a very lame group. We’re actually watching an entrance walkout.’
“So he was like, ‘OK, no problem,’ and left. But it was fun to go through it, and I cannot wait for the first one at Dodger Stadium and just how electric it will be.”
Friedman is probably low on the list of members of the Dodgers you might expect to receive a noise complaint at a hotel, but his excitement for Diaz’s walkout is warranted — and comes from experience. Friedman told SportsNet LA that he watched Diaz’s walkout when Timmy Trumpet performed the song live in 2022.
“It is electric. I was at Citi when Timmy Trumpets came and performed it live, where the night before, he was there but didn’t have a save opportunity so they got him to come back the next day,” Friedman said.
Friedman and Dodgers fans across the country will have to wait a bit longer for Diaz to finally take the diamond, as the Dodgers’ season officially starts March 26, when they host the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium.
Photo Credit: Tim Vizer-Imagn Images
