What a difference a year can make. Elias Diaz, the Colorado Rockies' catcher who turned heads last season by not just making the National League All-Star team, but also taking home All-Star Game MVP honors, was placed by the team on outright waivers, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Diaz is now available for all the other 29 MLB teams to claim, with the priority falling to the team with the worst winning percentage.
The Rockies attempted to shop Diaz prior to the July 30 trade deadline, but evidently, they did not find a trade that suited their preferences. Perhaps that came as a result of a cold trade market, with Rosenthal reporting that “no club expressed a significant desire to add him”. But now that a former All-Star catcher can be had without having to trade away anything of value, maybe Diaz becomes a more enticing player to take a chance on for teams that are in need of help at backstop.
Diaz is currently slashing .270/.315/.378 with five home runs and 36 runs batted in on the season. According to Fangraphs WAR, he has been more valuable this season than last, thanks to his improved defense behind the dish.
There appears to be a few teams that could use a player of Elias Diaz's caliber even though he has struggled over the past two months. The Arizona Diamondbacks, a team currently in the playoff picture, will be without everyday catcher Gerard Moreno for the next few weeks.
The Chicago Cubs could also be a candidate to acquire Diaz off waivers. While Christian Bethancourt has performed well for them since being acquired from the Miami Marlins, the catcher position has been a weak spot for the team all season long, and Diaz may help shore that problem up.
For the Rockies, the decision to let Elias Diaz wasn't exactly the most difficult one to make. At 44-78, they are the worst team in the NL, and Diaz did not have a stranglehold on the catcher position anyway. Colorado has Jacob Stallings as a more than capable everyday player. In just 212 plate appearances across 63 games, Stallings has been worth 1.2 WAR thanks to his positive contributions on the plate and on the field.
Elias Diaz can hold his head high despite impending Rockies departure
There may be egregious All-Star inclusions across the history of every major sports in the United States, but Elias Diaz was the best choice for the Rockies' token All-Star thanks to his solid production from the plate for a catcher. From the start of last season to the 2023 All-Star break, Diaz slashed .277/.328/.435 to go along with his nine home runs and 45 runs batted in.
But Diaz made the most of his All-Star game inclusion; brought in to pinch hit for Jorge Soler with one of the best closers in baseball, Felix Bautista, on the mound, the Rockies catcher went deep, driving Nick Castellanos in to give the NL All-Stars a 3-2 lead that would end up being the final tally. He deservedly won All-Star Game MVP honors for his heroics.
Not too many players can say that they've had a moment as memorable as this in their professional careers. Elias Diaz's career with the Rockies might be over, but this moment will bring fond memories amid a dreary era in the franchise's history.
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