Dodgers Receive 'A' Grade For Edwin Diaz Signing

Bradford Doolittle and David Schoenfield of ESPN.com have been giving up-to-the-minute deal grades for all of the free agents that have reportedly agreed to deals thus far in the MLB offseason period.

The news of Edwin Diaz agreeing to a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers certainly turned more than a few heads. Many believed Diaz would re-sign with the New York Mets. While the Dodgers were in the market for reliever help all along, few connected the two parties.

Now, the Dodgers have secured arguably the top closer in the sport on a very team-friendly three-year commitment costing $69 million.

Schoenfield and Doolittle loved the deal — and gave an "A" grade to the Dodgers as a result.

"It's a bad idea to sign a relief pitcher to a long-term contract. But it's not a bad idea to sign Edwin Diaz to a long-term contract, and it's especially not a bad idea for the Los Angeles Dodgers to do so."

“The first thing I said to him was, ‘You’re going to sign with the Dodgers, right?’”

Andre Ethier was recruiting Edwin Diaz at the MLB awards 🤣

Listen to the full interview on Dodger Talk with @THEREAL_DV: https://t.co/V1x8F6pQEo pic.twitter.com/d4paUXWJLe
— AM 570 LA Sports (@AM570LASports) December 11, 2025

Doolittle went on to describe how significant this signing was as the Dodgers go for a third-straight World Series Title.

"You have to wonder how many teams could have landed Diaz on a three-year deal. Surely some were willing to go to four years at least, perhaps at a lower AAV but with more overall value. But this is what the Dodgers have become -- a destination. And their uniforms -- not to mention the super-swag championship rings that go with them -- are becoming status symbols among baseball's elite in the way that super-yachts have become the darlings of the mega-wealthy.

"The Dodgers, already a definitive favorite to win a third straight World Series, have solidified that status by a few more percentage points. And all it cost them was money, a resource that for them has become all but irrelevant. That is increasingly what puts the Dodgers on the hilltop, and makes the climb for everyone else that much more difficult to complete."

The Dodgers didn't have to go in with a four or five-year commitment as many projected Diaz earning. With the three-year deal, LA will essentially have him under contract for the remainder of his apex prime.

At the same time, his deal will end the same season that Tanner Scott's contract comes off the books — which will free up more than $40 million between those two alone.

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