A’s reach two-year agreement with infielder Aledmys Díaz
Dec 8, 2022, 10:07 AM | Updated: 1:03 pm
(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
With free agency in full swing, the Oakland A’s have started to make some moves of their own.
According to MLB Network’s Joel Sherman, the A’s have reached an agreement with free agent infielder Aledmys Díaz that will run through the 2024 season. The deal is for $14 million over two years and is pending a physical evaluation.
Aledmys Diaz and the A’s are in agreement pending physical on a 2-yr deal. In $14M range.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 7, 2022
Díaz, 32, spent the past four seasons with the Houston Astros in a utility role after beginning his career with stops in St. Louis and Toronto. During his rookie season with the Cardinals in 2016, Díaz was named to the Nation League All-Star team and finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting.
The former Astro hit 12 home runs during the 2022 season while batting .243 and driving in 38 runs. Díaz is a batter who rarely strikes out, as his 14.7% career strikeout rate ranks well below Major League Baseball’s 22.3% average.
Oakland will benefit from having another plug-and-play option on the roster as Díaz has logged innings at second base, shortstop, third base, and both corner outfield spots over the years. Last season with Houston, Díaz spent most of his time in left field (29 games) and at second base (22 games).
With Chad Pinder entering free agency, the A’s have chosen to add another utility player to the roster that can join forces with Tony Kemp and the recently-signed Jace Peterson to play around the diamond.
For an Athletics team that just posted its worst record in 28 years, there is still a lot of work to be done in getting this team back to a place where they can compete in a loaded American League West division that includes the likes of the reining World Series champs in Houston, an up-and-coming Seattle Mariners team, a re-tooled Texas Rangers, and a lurking Los Angeles Angels squad that is desperate to get Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani to the playoffs.
