Edwin Diaz
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.
All 10 questions▾
People also ask
Where does Edwin Diaz live?
Diaz was born and raised in Naguabo, Puerto Rico, where he maintains strong ties and returns during the offseason, including for national team duty with Puerto Rico. During the MLB season he is based wherever his club plays, currently the Los Angeles area with the Dodgers.
What is Edwin Diaz's nationality?
Edwin Diaz is Puerto Rican. He was born on March 22, 1994, in Naguabo, Puerto Rico, and has represented Puerto Rico in international competition, including the World Baseball Classic.
How old is Edwin Diaz?
Edwin Diaz was born on March 22, 1994, making him 32 years old as of August 2026.
How tall is Edwin Diaz?
Edwin Diaz is listed at 6'3" (190 cm).
Why did Edwin Diaz leave the Mets?
Diaz opted out of the remaining two years and roughly $38 million left on his Mets contract to test free agency after the 2025 season. He then signed a new three-year, $69 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2025, a record-setting contract for a relief pitcher at the time. Sources: ESPN, MLB.com, Spotrac.
What is Edwin Diaz's contract with the Dodgers?
Diaz signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the Dodgers in December 2025, including a $9 million signing bonus, $14 million in 2026, and $23 million in both 2027 and 2028, with portions deferred. The Dodgers also hold a conditional club option for 2029. Sources: Spotrac, MLB.com.
Why did Edwin Diaz miss so much of the 2026 season?
After a rough start, seven appearances with a 10.50 ERA, Diaz underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow, sidelining him from mid-April through most of the season. He worked back through a rehab assignment before being activated off the injured list in late July 2026. Sources: CBS Sports, Bleacher Report.
Is Edwin Diaz still the Dodgers' closer?
Yes. After returning from injury in late July 2026, Diaz stepped back into the closer role, giving the Dodgers the ninth-inning option they had been missing for much of the season.
What is Edwin Diaz's career highlight?
Diaz built his reputation as one of MLB's most dominant closers with the New York Mets and Seattle Mariners, known for his high-90s fastball and slider combination and his signature ninth-inning entrance to Timmy Trumpet's 'Narco'. He has multiple All-Star selections and a National League Reliever of the Month award to his name.
Why is Edwin Diaz trending in August 2026?
His return from elbow surgery to reclaim the Dodgers' closer role in late July, just as Los Angeles pushes through the stretch run, has renewed attention on whether the record-setting contract will pay off in his first season away from the Mets. Sources: MLB.com, CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports.
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.