Dodgers 'X-factor' is $60 million signing to fix major bullpen issue from 2025
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Dodgers 'X-factor' is $60 million signing to fix major bullpen issue from 2025 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Dodgers don't have many holes on their star-studded roster. Their offense can beat any team, and their starting rotation is stacked.
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But if there were one issue, it would be the bullpen. Last year, the bullpen struggled mightily. Had it not been for a late-season resurgence from Roki Sasaki and the other starters factoring into the bullpen, the Dodgers might not have won the World Series.
With such a shaky group, the Dodgers spent $60 million on Edwin Diaz in a big free agent closer signing. That signing of Diaz is the Dodgers "X-factor" according to Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller. If Diaz does well, the Dodgers might not be stopped.
Dodgers' Edwin Diaz is 'X-factor' for 2026 season
"Despite spending $16M more on relievers than any other team, the Dodgers' bullpen seemed to be just plain cursed last season," Miller writes. "... But if new closer Edwin Diaz pitches as well as he did last year with the Mets, it's hard to find a thermal exhaust port on this Death Star."
Diaz is 31 years old and arguably the best closer in Major League Baseball. While the Dodgers, back-to-back World Series winners, didn't need to make any moves to be the top World Series contenders, this Diaz addition is a big help.
Tanner Scott led a rough bullpen in 2025 for the Dodgers. Had it not been for the starters taking over when it mattered most, the Dodgers likely would've lost to the Toronto Blue Jays.
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But now, with Diaz in the bullpen, the Dodgers should be able to turn the corner. That is, if he can pitch as well as he did with the New York Mets in 2025.
Diaz had a 1.63 ERA in 61 games for the Mets last season. His 3.0 bWAR and 98 strikeouts in 66.1 innings were some of the best marks among relievers last year.
If the Dodgers can get that kind of production, or even close-enough production from Diaz in 2026, then their World Series-caliber roster might not have a weakness.
That's why he's the Dodgers' "X-factor" for 2026. If he pitches well, the Dodgers will be in great shape to win the World Series. And if he struggles, the Dodgers bullpen will feel even more cursed than it did last season.
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