The saying, “the rich get richer“, has certainly been applied in the baseball world for quite some time. Generally, it was reserved for the New York Yankees, whose record 27 championships helped them continually sign top players with their expansive, league-leading payroll. While the current Los Angeles Dodgers don’t want to be known as a “pay to win” ball club, it’s hard to argue with how much money they’ve spent.
Now, even after winning the World Series, they’re not letting their foot off the gas. On Wednesday, the Dodgers signed three-time All Star closer Edwin Diaz. Diaz leaves the New York Mets, where he spent the past six seasons of his impressive career. Diaz was the best closing pitcher on the free agent market. Tanner Scott operated as the team’s main closer in 2025, but he struggled a good bit, leading to several other relievers getting opportunities for saves. Diaz will slot right in as the unquestioned closer for the best team in MLB.
One would imagine that a club like the Mets, who are not shy about spending money in the slightest, would have kept Diaz around with a strong offer. But it’s now being reported that a couple of Mets decisions played a role in Diaz leaving for greener pastures.
Edwin Diaz didn’t like Devin Williams signing and Mets canning pitching coach
Mike Puma of the New York Post says that Diaz didn’t like the fact that New York got rid of pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who was fired back in November right after the conclusion of the 2025 season. Then there’s the signing of reliever Devin Williams a week ago, which ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports angered Diaz due to the Mets not “giving him a heads up” about the signing.
Despite Williams’ struggles in 2025, he’s a two-time All Star and a top closer when he’s on his game. His signing basically forced Diaz out of the equation, although it sounds like Diaz had his eyes set on leaving anyway. According to Puma, Diaz’s brother Alexis Diaz raved about the Dodgers’ “staff and infrastructure” to the former Mets pitcher. Alexis spent part of the 2025 season with the club.
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