For once, it seemed like the Los Angeles Dodgers were under the radar this season. But no, that was just a sham. Fresh off back-to-back World Series titles, they clearly want a three-peat because they just signed the best reliever on the free-agent market, Edwin Díaz.

Díaz is now headed to Los Angeles on a $69 million contract that makes him the highest-paid reliever in baseball history again. The team has not announced it yet, but the deal is confirmed. Well, for a franchise that has mastered the art of being dominant year after year, this fits their blueprint perfectly.

Here is a breakdown of what the contract looks like, how long Díaz is locked in LA for, and why the Dodgers thought it best to reload the ninth inning with one of the league’s most electric closers in MLB.

Edwin Díaz Contract Details

Edwin Díaz didn’t just dip his toe into free agency; he jumped. After the season, he opted out of the remaining two years and $38 million on his five-year deal with the New York Mets, which he had signed in 2022. But after three seasons, he decided to take the free agency route.

The Mets tried to keep him, even extending a $22.025 million qualifying offer, but Díaz declined the offer on the November 18 deadline. Anthony DiCamo, in fact, reports, “I’m told the Mets offered Edwin Díaz three years and $66 million (with slight deferrals) and indicated they had some room to improve that figure. Díaz chose the Dodgers’ offer of three years and $69 million instead.”

Now that he signed with the Dodgers, that qualifying offer triggered draft pick compensation; the Mets will receive a compensatory pick after the fourth round. The Mets had actually signed Devin Williams to a three-year, $51 million contract just last week—and it’s telling that maybe they suspected Díaz would eventually leave.

Edwin Díaz’s year with the Mets was a roller coaster because, while some were of absolute dominance, including three years with sub-2.00 ERAs. Others were shakier, with ERAs north of 3.45 and six or more blown saves. Not to mention, he missed the entire 2023 season after suffering a freak knee injury. Even then, he is one of the best relievers, and it’s why Stearns is facing so much hate for letting him go.

When you zoom out, though, his resume is no joke. 253 career saves since 2016, tied for second behind only Kenley Jansen. And what makes this deal historic is the money—a $23 million per year deal—, and with that, Díaz breaks his own record for the highest average annual salary for a reliever.

His previous Mets contract averaged $20.4 million per year, and a part of him knows no reliever has ever crossed the $20 million mark.

So the Dodgers made a huge statement.

How Long Is Edwin Díaz’s New Contract? – Overview of Deal Duration

The Dodgers’ agreement with Edwin Díaz is for three years. It’s a straightforward deal: three seasons, $69 million total, with no additional details or years mentioned so far. Sure, it is shorter than the five-year deal Díaz got from New York, but the AAV is even more aggressive this time around. The Dodgers are paying top dollar but not committing deep into the future, which is smart given they have to juggle massive long-term salaries in their roster.

What Is the Dodgers’ Strategy in Signing Edwin Díaz?

If you watched the Dodgers all season, you know this was not a luxury move but rather a necessity move. Their bullpen was an eyesore all season. Tanner Scott, their big relief signing from the previous offseason, struggled massively with home runs and inconsistency, and by the postseason, the Dodgers were so depleted that they had to turn to Roki Sasaki to hold their ninth inning, a starter as their closer.

And when Game 7 of the World Series arrived, things got so bad that Yoshinobu Yamamoto had to record the final eight outs on zero days’ rest. That’s not sustainable, and so Díaz is needed.

He immediately becomes the anchor of a bullpen that needs stability.

The current bullpen picture looks like this:

• Closer: Edwin Díaz
• Setup: Blake Treinen, Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia
• Middle Relief: Anthony Banda, Brusdar Graterol, Jack Dreyer, Will Klein
• Long Relief: Ben Casparius
• Depth: Edgardo Henriquez, Justin Wrobleski

Last season, the Dodgers posted a 4.27 ERA and blew 27 saves—tied for seventh most in baseball. Even a powerhouse like LA can’t survive that kind of number forever. With the ninth inning locked in, LA can now shift its off-season focus to adding an outfielder.