The Closing Conundrum: Edwin Díaz to the Dodgers and the Ghost of Devin Williams Haunting Aaron Boone’s 2026 Season

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ blockbuster signing of All-Star closer Edwin Díaz to a three-year, $69 million contract is a monumental move that solidifies the back end of the defending champions’ bullpen. However, for the division-rival New York Yankees, this transaction is not just about competing against a dominant Dodger team in the World Series; it is a direct blow that further exposes the critical failures of the 2025 Yankees bullpen and, more specifically, the perplexing managerial decisions of Aaron Boone.

The immediate concern for Boone and General Manager Brian Cashman is the realization that the top two elite relievers on the free-agent market—Díaz and former Yankees reliever Devin Williams—are now off the board and residing in the National League. This severely thins the available high-leverage talent for the 2026 season.

More profoundly, the Díaz signing crystallizes the narrative that the Yankees should have been focused on a reliable, dominant closer all along, instead of the disastrous, one-year experiment with Williams that now serves as the most glaring hole in the 2026 roster.

The Devin Williams Debacle: A Managerial Scapegoat?

The specter of Devin Williams is the true source of concern for Aaron Boone. Williams, acquired in a December 2024 trade, was supposed to be the Yankees’ shutdown closer. Instead, his 2025 season was a nightmare:

• Statistical Freefall: Williams’s elite numbers vanished quickly. He lost the closer role multiple times due to poor performance, allowing 12 runs (10 earned) in his first eight innings and posting a 5.06 ERA after the All-Star break.

• Boone’s Conundrum: Manager Aaron Boone faced relentless criticism for his handling of Williams. In the face of undeniable struggles, Boone exhibited his characteristic stubbornness and loyalty, often sticking with Williams in high-leverage situations when his performance did not warrant the trust. For example, Boone offered “odd explanations” for using Williams in high-leverage spots even after he had blown games or walked the bases loaded.

• The “Right Move” Question: After Williams was eventually replaced by mid-season trade acquisitions David Bednar and Camilo Doval, the Yankees allowed Williams to walk in free agency, signing a three-year, $51 million deal with the crosstown Mets.

The question the Yankees brass must now answer is whether Boone’s public support and continuous use of a struggling Williams—even after he lost the closer role—was an attempt to “save” the pitcher’s value for a trade, or simply a managerial miscalculation that cost the team crucial games and ultimately eroded Williams’ confidence entirely. Only time will tell if Williams’s expected bounce-back with the Mets will expose Boone’s handling of the situation as a failure to protect a valuable asset.

The Díaz Impact: A Looming 2026 Bullpen Crisis

The acquisition of Díaz by the Dodgers compounds Boone’s problems in three distinct ways:

1. The Immediate Void at Closer

The Yankees entered the offseason with a glaring need for a closer. While David Bednar was acquired mid-season and performed well, the Yankees’ bullpen still lacks the overwhelming, high-leverage depth needed to survive a full season and deep playoff run.

• Díaz and Williams Gone: The two most reliable closers on the market are now gone. The Yankees are left to compete for the second tier of free-agent closers or seek an expensive trade, both of which are riskier propositions.

• Boone’s Reliance: Boone needs a clear, unquestioned ninth-inning anchor to avoid the kind of late-game decision-making chaos that plagued him with Williams in 2025. Without a clear-cut option, the high-wire act of managing an unstable bullpen will return immediately in 2026.

2. The Rivalry Revenge Factor

Edwin Díaz, having opted out of his contract with the Mets, was a primary target for the Yankees as a symbolic counterpunch after the Mets signed Williams. The Dodgers swooping in and signing Díaz for a record-setting annual value ($23 million AAV) highlights the Yankees’ failed efforts to replace Williams.

Now, Boone is forced to face both Williams (with the Mets) and Díaz (if they meet the Dodgers in the World Series) while relying on a lesser, more uncertain bullpen structure.

3. Luxury Tax and Trade Restrictions

The Yankees’ willingness to “throw money around” for an elite closer now hits a wall of scarcity. If they pivot to an expensive trade for a controllable reliever, it will cost them top prospects—a price they have been historically reluctant to pay. Given that the Yankees were already reportedly focused on re-signing Cody Bellinger and addressing a lefty-heavy lineup, paying a premium for a high-end reliever was not their desired path. Díaz’s deal forces their hand and limits their flexibility in other areas.

In the end, Edwin Díaz to the Dodgers is more than a signing; it is a flashing red light for the New York Yankees. It confirms the team’s failed strategy with Devin Williams in 2025 and directly increases the pressure on Aaron Boone to manage a potentially chaotic bullpen in 2026 without the safety net of an elite, reliable closer. The specter of Williams dominating the ninth inning across town will only intensify the scrutiny on Boone’s every bullpen decision when the 2026 season begins.