The New York Yankees are expected to be in the mix for star closer Edwin Diaz according to Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated, a decorated closer who would make a massive impact at the backend of their bullpen.
While the team has avoided paying a premium for relievers in the past, they did make a blockbuster trade for Devin Williams a winter prior and added another All-Star closer in David Bednar.
After posting a 1.63 ERA and 2.28 FIP across 66.1 IP for the New York Mets, Diaz set himself up to get a significant payday, as he opted out of his five-year contract to hit the market once more.
He’ll do so entering his age-32 season, which brings valid questions about how the team will project his output in the next couple of seasons, but he would be a big difference-maker for any bullpen.
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Will the Yankees Make a Bullpen Splash With Edwin Diaz?
Edwin Diaz is one of the top closers in the game, as in each of his last three seasons he’s posted a strikeout rate in the 99th Percentile or better on Baseball Savant.
His stuff is ridiculous, sporting a high-velocity fastball from a low arm angle with deceptive movement, generating a 44% Whiff% on that pitch this past season.
Batters had a .179 AVG and .269 SLG% against the pitch, making it one of the best fastballs any reliever in the game throws in terms of production.
That isn’t the best pitch in his repertoire though sporting his signature slider that has given hitters nightmares for years, but will the Yankees be the team who invests significant financial capital in a closer?
David Bednar was brilliant for the Yankees down the stretch, but he will hit free agency after the 2026 season and could leave for another organization.
Knowing that the team could lose both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver this winter, they might look to have a multi-year star in their bullpen.
A contract for Bednar on a per-year basis could be similar to whatever Diaz gets on the market, and he’ll be the same age when he begins his new contract.
There’s logic in signing Diaz for a team who knows they don’t have a long-term closer on the roster right now, but if it intrudes their pursuit of other impact players they could have some reservation about entering that bidding war.