Old Friend Alert: Former Blue Jays infielder signs with Oakland
As rumors continue to fly and the free agent leaderboard seems to be shrinking by the minute, one former Toronto Blue Jays infielder has found himself a new home.
Per Joel Sherman of the New York Post, utilityman Aledmys Díaz is heading to the Oakland A's on a two-year, $14.5M contract.
Díaz came up with the Cardinals in 2016 as a versatile defender with some pop in his bat. He spent two seasons in St. Louis before being traded to the Blue Jays in 2017 for minor league outfielder J.B. Woodman, who has since retired.
Ultimately, Díaz spent just one season in Toronto, appearing in 130 games for the Jays in 2017, hitting 18 home runs (still a career-high) and driving in 55. His 105 OPS+ is the second highest mark of his career in a full season. He was traded to the Astros between the 2017 and '18 seasons in exchange for current Blue Jays pitcher Trent Thornton.
While his bat has fallen off a bit in recent years (no OPS+ north of 100 since 2019 in limited action with the Astros), Díaz remains a reliable backup infielder and corner outfielder.
On defense, the 32-year-old regularly lines up at all four infield spots as well as left field and an occasional appearance in right.
Baseball-Savant suggests that Díaz not only plays every position, but he plays them well. His player profile on the site shows that he was in the 77th-percentile in OAA (Outs Above Average) last season and the 65th-percentile in arm strength.
The fit on the A's is an obvious one, as the club has now signed both Díaz and Jace Peterson to free agent deals in an effort to expand their defensive versatility.
FanGraphs' Roster Resource has Díaz penciled in as the club's everyday second baseman but as he has shown in the past, he'll certainly appear all over the diamond for his new club. It's always nice to see former Blue Jays players find career longevity after leaving Toronto.