Díaz's main reason for picking LA? 'They have everything to win'

When the trumpets sound at Dodger Stadium for the first time, Edwin Díaz hopes that his new fanbase will be as fired up as he is.

During his introductory press conference in Los Angeles shortly after his three-year, $69 million deal became official on Friday afternoon, Díaz was already envisioning what it might be like to take the mound on Opening Day, with his longtime entrance music -- "Narco" by Timmy Trumpet -- blaring over the speakers.

"I can't wait to, first game of the season, come in in the ninth with Timmy Trumpet and get the 'W' for the Dodgers," Díaz told reporters in L.A.

A Dodgers team coming off back-to-back championships just got that little bit better with the addition of Díaz, who was the top reliever on the free-agent market. This marks the second straight offseason that L.A. picked up a high-end bullpen arm, having signed Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million deal last winter.

Even though Díaz opted out of the remaining two years on his previous contract with the Mets and turned down a qualifying offer, it widely came as a surprise when he and the Dodgers agreed to terms. Ultimately, Díaz was convinced that coming to L.A. would be his best chance to win, even if it meant leaving the team with which he had established himself as one of the best closers in baseball.

"It wasn't easy," Díaz said. "I chose the Dodgers because they're a winning organization, and they have everything to win. It will be pretty easy to win."

Díaz's entrance music will be one of the few old comforts amid plenty of new experiences. He'll be based on the West Coast for the first time since he was with the Mariners back in 2018. He has new teammates, coaches and fans to get to know. And not only is he wearing a new jersey, but he'll also have a new number on his back.

For his entire Major League career, Díaz has worn No. 39. That number is retired for Roy Campanella, one of the first three numbers retired in franchise history alongside Jackie Robinson's No. 42 and Sandy Koufax's No. 32. So Díaz instead chose to wear No. 3 as a Dodger, in honor of his three sons.

From one family tie to another, Díaz had heard good things about the Dodgers' organization from his brother, Alexis, who was traded to L.A. from Cincinnati this past May but designated for assignment after nine appearances. During his time with the Dodgers, Alexis was complimentary of how the player development staff worked with him in an effort to fix his mechanics.

"He told me the Dodgers are a really good organization," Edwin Díaz said. "He made it easy for me."

It was an easy decision for the Dodgers, as well.

Entering the 2026 season, Díaz has a 2.82 ERA and 839 strikeouts in 519 1/3 career innings. He has 253 saves, fewer than only three active pitchers: Kenley Jansen (476), Craig Kimbrel (440) and Aroldis Chapman (367).

Since Jansen left the Dodgers, the team has gone for more of a closer-by-committee approach rather than designate an everyday ninth-inning arm. Even as the front office cited Díaz's willingness to pitch in any situation as one reason he was a fit for the team, his track record as a closer is a big reason L.A. signed him.

"I think just watching him compete over the years, seeing the selflessness in the postseason or in the last weekend of this year … whenever the game is potentially on the line," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters. "And it fits in really well with our culture and the selflessness of a lot of our superstar players. So many boxes were checked in our mind, but again, just a very high bar to say, 'This person is our closer,' and 'Sugar' checks all those boxes."

Not only are the Dodgers hoping that Díaz can lock down the ninth inning, but they're expecting bigger things out of their bullpen as a whole in 2026. Scott's struggles in his first year in L.A. have been widely documented, but he wasn't alone, as the relief corps combined for a 4.27 ERA.

The addition of Díaz should be huge, but the Dodgers are expecting an overall bounceback from the group.

"The opportunity to add somebody of this caliber to what's already a really talented bullpen was something that we weren't sure was going to be able to actually come to fruition," general manager Brandon Gomes told reporters. "But we're really fired up that it did."