Edwin Diaz signing is sure to infuriate MLB fans who look at Dodgers payroll

It's become something of a running joke among MLB fans at this point, but once again, the Los Angeles Dodgers have gotten their man in free agency. This time, it's superstar closer Edwin Díaz, who is joining the team on a record-breaking three-year contract.

To make matters worse for New York Mets fans — who hardly need more bad news in their lives — Díaz reportedly spurned their very similar offer to join the biggest villains in baseball. Just some more coals on the "Dodgers are ruining baseball" fire, it seems.

For those in the know, this actually patches one of the very few holes of the Dodgers' roster. Tanner Scott is still around and was generating some closer buzz in his return from injury, but it's clear Dave Roberts and the front office weren't going to entrust him with all those ninth-inning leads after a difficult maiden campaign in Los Angeles. He (and Blake Treinen) can now serve as a set-up man and closer-in-waiting should any injury befall Diaz.

For those not in the know, this is just the next move in a long line of the Dodgers flexing their huge payroll muscles on everyone else.

Edwin Diaz's record-breaking contract is only the seventh-largest AAV on Dodgers' payroll

The two-time reigning champions certainly aren't known for their frugality, so it should be no surprise they now have the second-largest deal in baseball (Shohei Ohtani), the largest starting pitcher contract ever (Yoshinobu Yamamoto), and the largest-ever annual salary for a reliever (Diaz) on their payroll.

Still, it's a bit jarring to see that Diaz's $23 million AAV — which breaks his own $20 million record from his previous contract with the Mets — is only the seventh-largest on the team, even when accounting for deferrals.

Largest Average Annual Values on 2026 Los Angeles Dodgers

1. Shohei Ohtani ($46.08 million AAV)
2. Blake Snell ($31.36 million)
3. Tyler Glasnow ($27.31 million)
4. Yoshinobu Yamamoto ($27.08 million)
5. Mookie Betts ($25.55 million)
6. Freddie Freeman ($24.7 million)
7. Edwin Diaz ($21.1 million)

Besides that septet, six other players on the roster have annual salaries worth more than $10 million (Teoscar Hernández, Tanner Scott, Tommy Edman, Will Smith, Blake Treinen, and Max Muncy).

It sort of puts into perspective teams like the Pirates — with just two players (Mitch Keller and Bryan Reynolds) who have broken than eight-figure threshold — that rarely go out of their way to add premier talent. Some may say that disparity is why the Dodgers are ruining baseball, but it's clear that Los Angeles is simply using the means available to them to put the best possible team on the field.

Diaz and others have recognized that fact, and it's why the best players in the world continue to choose the Dodgers in free agency.