Why Bryan Abreu’s ceiling as a closer makes him the perfect Edwin Diaz replacement

The Los Angeles Dodgers have been red hot so far in the 2026 season, with a record of 15-6, the best in the NL West and the MLB. However, they did suffer a huge blow today; their All-Star closer, Edwin Diaz, has been put on the IL.

With that in mind, they’ll need to find a replacement to take his place at the end of the bullpen for the foreseeable future. While they have possible inside replacements for the role of closer in Tanner Scott and Blake Treinen, they still need to fill the void of Diaz.

FanSided’s Chris Landers proposes that the Dodgers go out on a limb and acquire Houston Astros set-up man and closer Bryan Abreu, who’s having a rough 2026, but is usually a stud.

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“This one requires a bit of a leap of faith, because right now the numbers are ugly: Abreu has posted a 14.73 ERA and 12.27 FIP through nine appearances, losing the closer's job in Houston as a result. But prior to that rough patch, he was one of the very best relievers in the sport for several years running, with a 2.30 ERA and 396 strikeouts in 281.2 innings from 2022-2025. Armed with a power fastball and a wipeout slider, he's been downright unhittable at times…if he can find a way to reset himself, though, there's no one with a higher ceiling, and the Astros should definitely be looking to shop the pending free agent if they're still mired in the AL West cellar come July,” Landers wrote.

So far this season, Abreu has posted a 14.73 ERA, 12 Ks, and a WHIP of 3.000 over nine games. While that is pretty bad, just last season he finished with a 2.28 ERA, 105 Ks, a WHIP of 1.155 and seven saves in 70 games. On top of that, he's had a sub-2.30 ERA for three of his past four seasons. 

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Plus, he would be relatively cheap for the Dodgers. He’s set to make $5.9 million this season, and he’ll be a free agent this offseason.

So, it’s a win-win for the Dodgers. Either he bounces back and performs well for them, or he just becomes a space filler for cheap, and they let him walk at the end of the season. Hopefully, L.A. realizes this is a good move, and gets to work.

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