The Mets’ two biggest offseason departures are clearly Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz. With Alonso, it still made some sense as the Mets weren’t comfortable committing to a long-term deal, so he naturally found a new home. But the Díaz situation is different. The Mets reportedly put a $66 million offer on the table, yet he still chose the Dodgers, who only beat that by about $3 million.

Now, that hardly supports the usual claim that players bolt for L.A. just for the money. So why did Díaz walk away? In his first press conference as a Dodger, he explained what actually drew him to the Dodgers, and it definitely wasn’t the paycheck.

“It wasn’t easy. I spent 7 years in New York. They treat me really well, they treat me great. I chose the Dodgers because they’re a winning organization. I’m looking to win. And I think they have everything to win. Picking the Dodgers was pretty easy,” Díaz said from his first press meet as a Dodger.

Well, Díaz has been with the Mets since 2019, except for that 2023 season. And in these seven years, you can imagine how different things might’ve been if he’d been with the Dodgers instead. He probably would’ve picked up three World Series rings by now (2020, 2024, 2025). With the Mets, though, he still hasn’t won one, even after putting up a dominant season this year.

Reportedly, Díaz was the Mets’ best closer in 2025, posting a 1.63 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP, 98 SOs in 62 appearances, and 28 saves. Yet the team still couldn’t make the playoffs.

So it’s understandable that he’d say he chose the Dodgers to win. If you remember, we heard something similar from Roki Sasaki last year when he picked the Dodgers over other teams. He praised their player development and winning mentality: “But overall, when I looked at the consensus, I thought that the Dodgers were at the top.”

In short, with the Dodgers’ continued dominance, it’s clearly not just their financial muscle anymore. Rather, it’s their sustained success that’s drawing top talent. And with Shohei Ohtani and the team chasing a three-peat in the 2026 World Series, it’s hard to imagine a better situation for Díaz to join.

The Dodgers just got a perfect fit in Díaz

While it is Edwin Díaz who preferred to choose the Dodgers due to their winning record, there was also a need from the opposite end.

If you remember, despite their winning season, the Dodgers’ bullpen really felt the strain in 2025. They threw an MLB-leading 657 2/3 innings but still finished with a 4.27 ERA, and the lack of a steady presence at the back end showed all season. Things got so serious that Sasaki was called in as a stopgap solution in the bullpen.

Reportedly, the Dodgers signed Tanner Scott at the start of 2025 to a $72 million deal, but that move didn’t pan out. Scott had a rough first season in L.A., posting a 4.74 ERA and leading the Majors with 10 blown saves. So, with that kind of instability, the Dodgers had to go find a dependable closer, and Edwin Díaz became available at exactly the right moment.

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In 2025, Díaz had the second-lowest ERA among relievers who logged at least 50 innings, giving the Dodgers exactly the kind of late-inning reliability they’d been missing. Now, with him in place, L.A. finally looks to have the stability it needs in save situations as it pushes for a third straight championship.