MLB Top-10 Relief Pitchers Right Now 2026: Edwin Díaz Returns to List

Newly signed Dodgers relief pitcher Edwin Diaz speaks to reporters during his introductory press conference on Friday, Dec. 12, 2025, at Dodger Stadium. | Keith Birmingham/Pasadena Star-News

The Los Angeles Dodgers are represented by Edwin Díaz on the list of MLB Top-10 Relief Pitchers Right Now heading into the 2026 season.

Relief pitchers were the 10th and final position group to be unveiled for 2026, and it's the eighth list the Dodgers had a player included in the top 10.

Aroldis Chapman of the Boston Red Sox was ranked the best relief pitcher in baseball for this season. Devin Williams was ranked No. 1 last year but fell off The Shredder's list entirely for this season.

Top-10 rankings the Dodgers did not have anyone listed for were at second base and left field. Yoshinobu Yamamoto was their lone selection on the list of the best starting pitchers,Mookie Betts was named the No. 5 shortstop, Andy Pages made his debut on the rankings, Will Smith was ranked the No. 3 catcher, Kyle Tucker placed third for right fielders, Max Muncy checked in at No. 2 for third basemen and Freddie Freeman continued his reign at firsts base.

The Shredder annually ranks players by evaluating past performance, offensive and defensive metrics, including advanced stats and traditional numbers, and analysis by the MLB Network research team.

Edwin Díaz ranked by The Shredder

Díaz was ranked as the No. 3 relief pitcher in his return to The Shredder rankings. Díaz had last appeared on the list heading into 2024, when he placed sixth.

MLB Network host Brian Kenny ranked Díaz as the No. 5 reliever, and he ranked fourth on a list compiled by analyst Mike Petriello.

The Dodgers were represented that year by Evan Phillips as the No. 4 relief pitcher in baseball. Brusdar Graterol also was included among The Shredder's just missed category for the 2024 season.

For 2025, The Shredder ranked then-Dodgers free agent target Tanner Scott as the seventh-best relief pitcher, and eventual signee Kirby Yates was No. 8. Blake Treinen was in the just missed category last season.

Díaz was ranked the best relief pitcher in baseball heading into the 2023 season. That came weeks before he suffered a torn patellar tendon in his right knee while celebrating a win with Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

Díaz required surgery that caused him to miss the entire season and it played a role in not getting ranked by The Shredder for 2024.

Díaz appearing at No. 1 in 2023 is part of 11 different relief pitchers being ranked first in each of the last 12 seasons. No reliever has made The Shredder's list in each of the last three years.

Now he's looking to build off a season in which he had 28 saves while pitching to a 1.63 ERA, 2.28 FIP and 0.87 WHIP in 62 games for the New York Mets. Díaz's 2.49 xERA last year was the third-lowest among active relief pitchers.

Rank	The Shredder	Mike Petriello
1	Aroldis Chapman (Red Sox)	Mason Miller (Padres)
2	Mason Miller (Padres)	Jhoan Duran (Phillies)
3	Edwin Díaz (Dodgers)	Cade Smith (Guardians)
4	Cade Smith (Guardians)	Edwin Díaz (Dodgers)
5	Andrés Muñoz (Mariners)	Josh Hader (Astros)
6	Garrett Whitlock (Red Sox)	Aroldis Chapman (Red Sox)
7	Matt Strahm (Royals)	Andrés Muñoz (Mariners)
8	Adrian Morejon (Padres)	Griffin Jax (Rays)
9	Josh Hader (Astros)	Devin Williams (Mets)
10	Jason Adam (Padres)	Grant Taylor (White Sox)