Blue Jays: Diaz trade frees up more money this offseason

With the Blue Jays acquiring Aledmys Diaz, they’ve solved one of their glaring issues this offseason, without dipping into their available funds.

Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro have to be pleased with the trade they were able to swing on Friday, acquiring former All-Star shortstop, Aledmys Diaz, in exchange for J.B. Woodman, a minor league outfielder who didn’t rank terribly high in the Blue Jays’ system. They entered the offseason with their highest priority being the middle infield, and the first significant move they made was to directly address that.

There is a lot to like about the Diaz trade, especially considering he’s just 27 years old, has experience at shortstop, second base, third base, and a little in left field, and is just a year removed from hitting .300/.369/.510 with 17 home runs and 65 RBI. He struggled through much of his sophomore season while also dealing with thumb injuries, and ending up spending a good chunk of the season in Triple A. Because some of the lustre had worn off, and the Cardinals had Paul DeJong emerge at shortstop, they deemed him expendable.

We could talk about Diaz’s upside with his skill set, and I’m sure we’ll do a lot more of that this offseason and throughout his five years of club control with the Blue Jays, but his acquisition was a great one for the Blue Jays for other reasons as well. He signed as an international free agent with the Cardinals before the 2014 season, earning eight million over the life of a four year deal. He has two more seasons before he enters arbitration, and he’ll cost the Blue Jays roughly the same as Ryan Goins would have, had been tendered a contract.

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That’s where the Diaz trade brings even more value, especially in the immediate term. According to an article on www.sportsnet.com, the Blue Jays have roughly 136 million committed to their rostered players, which accounts for the salaries already determined, and a projection of the arbitration situations yet to be solved. In 2016, the Jays had a payroll of 163 million when they entered the season, which would theoretically leave them 27 million to play with. Add in the fact that they lead the American League in attendance in 2017, and also have a ticket price raise on the docket for next season, and the Blue Jays should have some money to spend.

By solving, or at least directly addressing the middle infield situation with Diaz, the Blue Jays can take the remaining money they’ve got to work with and dedicate it to the other areas of need. They didn’t have to go out and spend 6-8 million on a guy like Eduardo Nunuez in free agency, or give up significant assets to make a trade (with all due respect to Woodman). We’ve also talked about the areas of need a lot here at Jays Journal, but the lineup could use another starting pitching, a back-up catcher, a left handed reliever, and hopefully another outfielder as well. Depending on how Shapiro and Atkins decide to spread that around, or spend it at all, they should have enough to get the job done.

So whether that’s becoming more realistic candidates for players like J.D. Martinez, Lorenzo Cain, or Jake Arrieta, as they’ve been rumoured to have checked in on, or if they explore extension talks with Josh Donaldson, the Blue Jays won in more ways than one on Friday with their trade. Maybe Diaz never regains the form that made him an All-Star in 2016, but he doesn’t necessarily have to in order to provide value in Toronto.

Next: What to expect from Aledmys Diaz in 2018