David Bednar and Opportunity Cost

Edwin Diaz makes $23 million a year to close out games for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that has seemed to stop caring about a payroll budget at all. This year’s qualifying offer is $23.15 million, meaning if Yankee closer David Bednar accepts the one-time, one-year deal, he’ll be the highest paid closer in baseball for one season, a season in which we’re not quite sure what the baseball landscape will look like.

Of course Bednar has the right to negotiate a longer-term deal with the Yankees or any other team after declining the QO, and something like the three-year $51 million contract Devin Williams inked with the Mets might be more in line with what he wants —less money per year, but…