Blue Jays acquire SS Aledmys Diaz from the Cardinals

The Blue Jays swung a trade late Friday night, acquiring Aledmys Diaz from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for prospect, J.B. Woodman.

In a bit of a surprise move on Friday night, the Blue Jays made their first move in addressing their 2018 roster needs, acquiring Aledmys Diaz from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for minor league prospect, J.B. Woodman.

Diaz was an All-Star in 2016, and is still just 27 years old. He debuted with the Cardinals in 2016, and managed to hit .300/.369/.510 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI as a rookie, finishing the season with a 3.5 WAR. He looked to be a building block for the Cardinals for several years, but took a step back in 2017, and the Red Birds decided he was expendable.

Had he put those type of numbers up again in 2017, there’s almost no chance the Cardinals would have dealt him. However, during the past season he hit .259/.290/.392, and played in 79 games, losing some confidence from the Cardinals coaching staff as the season wore on. His power numbers were down, and his defence went from 0.2 dWAR in 2016, to a -0.6 in 2017.

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He should be the type of high upside play the Blue Jays were looking for, and at the very least will provide greater depth up the middle behind Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis. He spent time at shortstop (his primary position), but also logged innings at third base, second base, and even a bit of time in left field. If he hit left handed and had a little more speed, he’d be close to the “ideal” type of player Ross Atkins described just last week.

In J.B. Woodman, the Cardinals are getting a talented youngster who the Blue Jays took in the 2nd round of the 2016 draft. Just 22 years old, Woodman spent the 2017 season with the Lansing Lugnuts of Low A, and played in 96 games. He hit .240/.320/.378 with seven home runs and 45 RBI, and figures to be a bit of a long shot to make it all the way to the highest level.

The move also came on the heels of the Blue Jays announcing they would not be tendering a contract to long time veteran, Ryan Goins. The acquisition of Diaz makes the decisions make more sense, as the Blue Jays are in need of middle infield depth, which is why the call on Goins was a bit confusing at first at the very least.

The Blue Jays also made a few other decisions on Friday night, deciding to tender contracts to Ezequiel Carrera and Aaron Loup, while non-tendering both Goins and Tom Koehler. As several other teams had to make roster calls before the 8pm deadline, there could be more movement on the stove in the coming days. At the very least, the Blue Jays have got things going.

Next: Blue Jays non-tender Goins and Koehler