Edwin Diaz - People also ask
Edwin Diaz is the Puerto Rican closer who left the Mets for a 3-year, $69 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, then missed most of the 2026 season after elbow surgery before returning to the closer role in late July.
Edwin Diaz is the hard-throwing Puerto Rican closer who spent nearly a decade establishing himself as one of MLB’s most feared relievers, first with the Seattle Mariners and then across seven seasons with the New York Mets. Born March 22, 1994, in Naguabo, Puerto Rico, Diaz built his reputation on a fastball-slider combination that made him one of the game’s most dominant ninth-inning options, punctuated by his signature entrance to Timmy Trumpet’s “Narco” at Citi Field.
After the 2025 season, Diaz opted out of the two years and roughly $38 million remaining on his Mets contract to test free agency. The Los Angeles Dodgers moved quickly, signing him in December 2025 to a three-year, $69 million deal that set a new benchmark for relief pitchers, deepening an already stacked Dodgers bullpen.
His first season in Los Angeles did not go to plan early on. Diaz struggled through seven appearances with a 10.50 ERA before elbow surgery to remove loose bodies sidelined him from mid-April through most of the summer. He worked his way back via a rehab assignment, striking out nine batters over five innings across six outings, before the Dodgers activated him off the injured list in late July 2026. Manager Dave Roberts handed him back the closer role immediately, giving Los Angeles the ninth-inning certainty it had lacked for months as the club pushes toward October. Sources: MLB.com, CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports, Spotrac.
Fans hunting for the other famous Diaz in American pop culture are usually after the stand-up comedian Joey Diaz, who shares the surname but none of the fastball.