Edwin Díaz’s latest rehab outing has only made the Los Angeles Dodgers’ postseason decision more complicated. The $69 million closer allowed 5 runs over 0.2 innings in his last Triple-A appearance. And Díaz is now racing against time to prove that he deserves a spot on the playoff roster. But an MLB analyst wonders whether his lucrative contract will matter more than his performance for a team that’s chasing its third World Series in a row. 

“If Díaz, in their estimation, isn’t going to be good enough to be part of that, they’re not going to take him. This is a win-at-all-costs kind of industry here,” Ken Rosenthal said, appearing in a recent Foul Territory podcast. 

The analyst reminded that the Dodgers would be taking their best 26 players to play in October. And the club has reiterated that they will have their top 12 or 13 strongest pitchers for the playoffs. And that creates a particularly difficult situation for Díaz. 

The 32-year-old signed a 3-year contract with the Dodgers, but his first season hasn’t been nearly as good as his final year with the New York Mets.

Díaz recorded a 1.63 ERA over 62 games, striking out 98 batters last year. In 2026, he has made just 16 appearances, managing an 11.85 ERA with just 19 Ks. 

On top of that, he underwent right elbow surgery in April, missing roughly three months. He made it back to the active roster but struggled heavily with command and velocity. And before he could address those issues effectively, something else popped up.

A neck inflammation landed him on the injured list again. 

The 3x All-Star began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on September 6, but he is still struggling on the mound.

He has a 14.40 ERA across all his minor league appearances this season. And that’s not making a strong case for him. Hence, the Tanner Scott comparison came up in the podcast.

Rosenthal admitted that the Dodgers might face the same situation again if they choose to reinstate Edwin Díaz on the active roster. 

Scott signed a 4-year, $72 million contract with the Dodgers in 2025. The relief pitcher had a 4.74 ERA with 60 Ks over 61 appearances. While he had 23 saves and 8 holds, he also recorded an MLB-high 10 blown saves last season. 

The Dodgers had put him on the active roster for the postseason. But before he could actually take the mound, Los Angeles had to remove him from the roster as he underwent an urgent medical procedure for a lower-body abscess.

But the 32-year-old is having a better season this year with a 2.87 ERA and 76 Ks over 59.2 innings. He can be a good alternative for the Dodgers.

They already have a formidable starting group through players like Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow. 

True, Shohei Ohtani should have been on the list, but he has been struggling with knee and bicep issues for some time. He is already on the IL and expected to return later this month. But he won’t be pitching before next season. 

The Dodgers, however, would still have enough dependable arms.

They have Roki Sasaki, Justin Wrobleski, and Emmet Sheehan in relief. And their bullpen options are equally formidable, with stars like Alex Vesia, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen and Scott. They can easily handle the ninth inning for the back-to-back World Series champions. 

“We’re not trying to assuage feelings or anything like that,” Rosenthal declared. “The Edwin Diaz contract certainly doesn’t look great. And yeah, they have certain advantages financially. We all know that. Sometimes those advantages can work against you.”

The argument isn’t whether Edwin Díaz deserves the $69 million.

It’s about whether he can play well enough to justify that contract when October arrives. 

Dave Roberts earlier said, “We have to go with our best pitchers.”

And that doesn’t feel like the veteran reliever will get an opportunity after struggling in his rehab. We’ll have to wait for his next Triple-A game to find out if there’s been any improvement.