#edwin-diaz

#edwin-diaz

SAN JOSE - The Los Angeles Dodgers were having a quiet offseason by their lofty standards. Then, they set the baseball world on fire. Again. On Thursday evening, news broke that the Dodgers agreed to a four-year, $240 million pact with four-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker. Even with deferrals, Tucker's average annual value of $57.1 million becomes the highest in MLB history, shattering the record that Juan Soto ($51 million) set last season.

"Any team that exceeds the base luxury-tax threshold for three or more consecutive years pays a 50 percent penalty for every dollar it goes above," Rosenthal and Sammon wrote. "Any team that exceeds the base threshold by $60 million or more pays an additional 60 percent surcharge. "The Los Angeles Dodgers qualify on both counts, so their penalty for signing Tucker or any of the other remaining free agents would be 110 percent. At a $40 million AAV, Tucker would cost them $84 million. At a $35 million AAV, the number would be a mere $73.5 million."

The Los Angeles Dodgers have already named Edwin Díaz as their unquestioned closer after signing the veteran reliever to a record-breaking contract in free agency. The Dodgers haven't had a dedicated closer since Kenley Jansen in 2021, as even Tanner Scott was not fully granted that opportunity upon signing last season. General manager Brandon Gomes said at the time that Scott would get plenty of save opportunities but stopped short of naming him the team's set closer to begin the 2025 season.

The first thing I said to him was, 'You're going to sign with the Dodgers, right?'...I sat there for the entire two-hour event and talked up the Dodgers to him the whole time. I don't know if I had a hand in it or not, but I like to say that I was one of the first ones to go heavy and hard after him that he should be a Dodger.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced the signing of Edwin Diaz on Friday, who agreed to a three-year, $69 million deal. Moreover, the team held a press conference to introduce their new star closer, who explained the reason behind his decision to sign with the team and leave his former squad, the New York Mets. Also, he explained his decision on his number: it will not be the No. 39 he wore with the Mets, but instead No. 3.

The former MLB GM has elite closer Edwin Diaz staying in New York, but not with the Mets but joining the Yankees on a five-year, $88 million deal that could potentially be worth $100 million when all is said and done. If that indeed comes to fruition, that would be detrimental news to the Blue Jays in their search for significant bullpen help in the free agent market this offseason.

However, the Blue Jays hope in landing an elite bullpen arm could significantly take a bigger hit if the latest prediction by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com ends up coming to fruition. Feinsand has top free agent closer Edwin Diaz signing with the reigning World Series champions Los Angeles Dodgers this winter. Blue Jays fans should roll their eyes at this Dodgers prediction

The bullpen is one thing on their list and it's a sensible one. The Jays had a middling relief group in 2025. Toronto relievers had a collective 3.98 earned run average, which was 16th out of the 30 big league clubs. Closer Jeff Hoffman had a 4.37 ERA for the year. He dominated through most of the playoffs but then surrendered the big Miguel Rojas home run when the Jays were two outs away from a title.