The Los Angeles Dodgers took over headlines on Tuesday with the massive signing of free agent closer Edwin Diaz. The move addressed the Dodgers’ glaring need for late-inning bullpen support with an elite talent, and MLB Insider Ken Rosenthal reacted to the news at the Winter Meetings in Orlando. 

“Diaz was a stunner,” he said. “And everyone knew that the Dodgers were in on relievers; late-inning relievers, but the feeling was that only on a one-year deal or short-term, they wouldn't necessarily want to qualify and offer a guy, lose two draft picks.”  

“Well, they went to three years. They lost two draft picks and a million dollars in international bonus money, and they're acting like the Dodgers always act. So, we probably shouldn't have been surprised by any of this.” 

Diaz’s contract with Los Angeles is three years, $69 million, which sets a new AAV record for relievers, according to Jeff Passan. 

Once again, the Dodgers have proven that money is not a constraint. Even when reports came out about the team not looking to make a big splash in free agency, the front office pulled the trigger anyway in pursuit of hoisting The Commissioner’s Trophy for a third year in a row. 

“The purpose of the sport is to win,” Rosenthal added. “And I know this will probably evoke a fresh round of the ‘Dodgers are ruining baseball’. But if you remember, it went down to the ninth inning of the... Actually, beyond the ninth inning of the last game of the World Series, and they were two outs away from losing that sucker.”  

“So, hey, obviously they had made some bullpen moves last year that did not work out so well for them. Edwin Diaz is much more of an established guy than Tanner Scott was, and Kirby Yates was older, of course, but it's a huge move for them, obviously.” 

By adding Diaz, the Dodgers get a three-time All-Star and a two-time National League Reliever of the Year. The 31-year-old is coming off a season where he made 62 appearances with a 6-3 record, a 1.63 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP over 66.1 innings of work. He also logged 98 strikeouts and 28 saves. 

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