Blue Jays sign Robinson Diaz, is he still worth one Bautista?

The Toronto Blue Jays have signed catcher Robinson Diaz, who was with the club until 2008 and one of the most lopsided trades in recent memory

The Blue Jays made another minor league depth addition on Monday signing catcher Robinson Diaz, who was with the organization from 2002 to 2008.

Now 32, the Dominican-born Diaz is well removed from his days in the Blue Jays system where he did flash a decent hitting tool. Across 14 minor league seasons, Diaz holds a .295 batting average. In 44 major league games in 2008 and 2009, he managed to hit .281 with a single home run and 20 RBIs.

His real value to Toronto, however, will forever be for the man he netted the Jays in a seemingly inconsequential deal on August 21st of 2008.

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In that deal, Diaz was dealt to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named later. One that would change the direction of the franchise.

Jose Bautista.

While Diaz’s career has taken an entirely different direction since that year, he should still be able to offer Toronto some level of depth behind the plate in the mid-to-high minors after working in spring camp.

Last year with the Milwaukee Brewers organization between hi-A Brevard County and triple-A Colorado Springs, he hit .291.

Toronto has also signed another veteran Dominican catcher in Wilkin Castillo.

The 6’0″, 200-pound 32-year-old is an interesting case having played nearly every position on the diamond, primarily behind the plate, second base or third base.

In 2015, Castillo played with the triple-A Indianapolis Indians of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization where he hit .250 in just 17 games. From 2012 to 2014, he played primarily in the Mexican League and Dominican Winter League.

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