Rival executive underscores why Edwin Diaz belongs nowhere near Dodgers and how to fix him

It's no secret that Edwin Diaz has had a nightmare first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Diaz was brought in on a three-year, $69 million deal in the offseason to be an elite closer for the Dodgers, but things haven't gone according to plan.

He got off to a rough start to the season before undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow in late April. This knocked him out for a little over three months, but upon his return, Diaz's performance didn't improve. Just three weeks after being activated, he landed back on the IL with neck inflammation on August 18.

On the season, Diaz has an abysmal 11.85 ERA and four blown saves in 11 chances across 13⅔ innings. He has also struggled on his most recent minor league rehab assignment, allowing five runs, three walks and a hit by pitch in just 0.2 innings two outings ago. As a result, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated that the team could leave Diaz off their postseason roster.

What has gone wrong for Dodgers' closer Edwin Diaz?

One National League executive who spoke with FanSided gave his take on Diaz. The NL executive believes Diaz's lower arm angle has impacted his stuff. Diaz's arm angle has dropped each year since 2022 when it was 23 degrees. It lowered to 20 degrees in 2024 to 19 degrees in 2025 to just 15 degrees this year. This is something Diaz and the Dodgers are actively working to fix.

Diaz's fastball velocity is also down this season. He's averaging 96.3 mph on his four seamer as opposed to 97.2 mph in 2025. Opponents are hitting .441 with a .735 slugging percentage against his fastball. His slider velocity is normal, but hitters have a .323 average with a .516 slugging percentage against it. Last season, batters hit .179 with a .269 slugging percentage versus Diaz's slider.

In addition to his lower arm slot, the executive thinks that Diaz's struggles may have become partly mental after the mechanical/stuff issues. The executive compared Diaz to Tanner Scott, who had a poor first season with the Dodgers last season, and believes an offseason reset might do the trick like it did with Scott.

Scott is not having a good September (7.71 ERA), but has bounced back this season overall to post a 2.87 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 76 strikeouts and 22 saves in 59.2 innings. He will likely be the Dodgers' closer in the postseason unless Diaz somehow miraculously turns his campaign around -- and fast.

Given the injuries, mechanical woes and mental aspect that comes with all of this, it appears that 2026 will be a lost one for Diaz. The three-time All-Star and three-time Reliever of the Year, has had a disastrous year and the most realistic hope is that he can return to form in 2027.

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