Despite a need for bullpen upgrades and Edwin Diaz's dominance, the Cubs' financial approach signals no big-money pursuit for the elite closer.
The Cubs' bullpen could look a lot different next season.
With key bullpen arms like Brad Keller, Caleb Thielbar, and Drew Pomeranz all looking for new contracts in free agency, Chicago could look to add some big-name relievers this offseason. Luckily for the Cubs, there are a handful of elite relievers who are available to sign.
One of which is New York Mets closer Edwin Diaz. Diaz is easily the best reliever on the open market this winter, as he has been one of the top closers in the game in recent years.
In 2022, Diaz finished with a 1.31 ERA, 118 strikeouts, and 32 saves across 62 innings pitched. Those numbers helped the hard-throwing right-hander win the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year Award.
Although Diaz missed the entire 2023 campaign due to an injury and struggled for most of the 2024 season, the Puerto Rican native returned to dominance in 2025. He ended the year with a 1.63 ERA and converted 28-of-31 save opportunities for the Mets.
Now, the right-hander will enter free agency after he opted out of his player option in early November. With Diaz totaling at least 28 saves in three of his past four seasons, he should have a strong market this offseason.
Unfortunately, Cubs fans shouldn’t expect Diaz to land in the Windy City.
For starters, Chicago’s front office doesn’t spend big money on the bullpen. Only one reliever (Ryan Pressly) made over $6 million last season, and most of the other relievers on the team were on cheap one-year deals.
Although the Cubs appeared to be interested in signing Tanner Scott last offseason, it’s highly unlikely they will go after a pitcher of Diaz’s caliber this offseason. The front office doesn’t view signing All-Star relief pitchers to multi-year deals as important.
On top of that, Diaz is going to cost a lot of money to sign. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, he believes the closer is seeking a contract for around five years with an annual salary of $20 million. That means the 31-year-old wants roughly a five-year, $100 million deal in free agency.
The Cubs simply aren’t going to give that out to Diaz.
The largest relief pitcher contract the front office has given out in its history is to Craig Kimbrel back in 2019. Kimbrel signed a three-year, $43 million deal in the middle of the 2019 season. Since then, Chicago has settled for numerous one-year contracts with relievers.
So, don’t expect the Cubs to be in on the Diaz sweepstakes this offseason.