The Rockies will think about commerce presents on catcher Elias Díaz over the following few weeks, writes Jon Heyman of the New York Publish. The veteran ought to slot in behind Danny Jansen as a rental goal for contenders in search of catching assist.
Impending free brokers on last-place groups are ceaselessly commerce candidates. Díaz suits the invoice, however the Rockies haven’t all the time been desperate to commerce leases even after falling out of rivalry. Colorado held Trevor Story and Jon Grey on the deadline three years in the past. They prolonged Daniel Bard relatively than buying and selling him on the 2022 deadline. The Rox had been extra aggressive in shifting leases final yr, though they nonetheless held onto lefty reliever Brent Suter solely to observe him stroll in free company.
It’s much less seemingly they’ll achieve this with Díaz. Heyman reviews that the workforce declined to have interaction in extension discussions with the 33-year-old catcher. If Colorado isn’t concerned about retaining him past this season, they’re higher off taking the very best supply on the desk by July 30. Díaz isn’t a qualifying supply candidate, in order that they wouldn’t get any compensation in the event that they let him depart by way of free company.
Whereas the return wouldn’t be enormous, Díaz has most likely performed effectively sufficient to web Colorado a mid-level prospect or two. He has profession marks in batting common (.296) and on-base proportion (.340). Díaz’s total .296/.340/.417 batting line is round league common after accounting for Coors Discipline, as measured by wRC+. That’s greater than satisfactory for a catcher.
An buying workforce most likely wouldn’t count on Díaz to match that degree of manufacturing down the stretch. He’s hitting .347 on balls in play, a mark he’ll have a tricky time sustaining. Díaz doesn’t hit the ball particularly arduous and isn’t going to beat out many infield hits. There’s room for regression whereas remaining a satisfactory hitter on the place. Catchers across the league are hitting .236/.300/.381 this season.
Maybe extra importantly, Díaz has dramatically improved his defensive grades. For many of his profession, the Venezuela native has rated as a subpar pitch framer. That’s not the case in 2024, as Statcast has lauded his receiving abilities in additional than 400 innings. Díaz has all the time had a powerful arm and been very efficient at controlling the working recreation. He’s doing so once more, chopping down 14 of 45 stolen base makes an attempt (31.1%). That’s effectively higher than the 22.1% league common.
Díaz is within the ultimate season of a three-year extension that he signed through the 2021-22 offseason. He’s enjoying on a $6MM wage. There’s rather less than $2.6MM remaining on that tab. That’ll be right down to round $2MM by the deadline. Díaz’s contract shouldn’t be an excessive amount of of an obstacle to a commerce. Some groups are reluctant to commerce for catchers midseason due to the challenges of rapidly adjusting to a brand new pitching employees, however Díaz may work as a part of a timeshare with an in-house catcher.
The Cubs and Rays are fringe contenders however may search for catching assist in the event that they stick within the playoff combine. Díaz’s former workforce in Pittsburgh hasn’t gotten a lot from the place, whereas the Mariners could search for a greater backup behind Cal Raleigh to maintain Mitch Garver working primarily at designated hitter.
Díaz and Jacob Stallings are the one true catchers on Colorado’s 40-man roster (although Hunter Goodman can play there in a pinch). They’re every impending free brokers, and Stallings has additionally performed effectively sufficient to be viable commerce candidate.
A commerce of 1 or each veterans may open some late-season reps for Drew Romo. The thirty fifth total decide within the 2020 draft, Romo is hitting .300/.331/.494 in 66 video games with Albuquerque. Colorado might want to choose his contract by November to maintain him out of the Rule 5 draft. They may take the ultimate few weeks of the common season to present the 22-year-old his first look in opposition to MLB arms.
