At this time last year, Elias Diaz looked to be the Pirates' catcher of the future. On Monday, he signed a minor-league contract with the Rockies.
MLB Insider Jon Heyman had the report.
Catcher Elias Díaz signs minors deal with Colorado Rockies
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 7, 2020
Diaz signed with the Pirates as an international free agent in 2008 and was with the organization for 11 seasons. He established himself as one of the Pirates' best prospects around 2015, and Baseball America graded him as the best defensive catcher in the minors that season.
After bouncing between the majors and minors from 2015-2017, Diaz appeared to solidify himself as a major-leaguer in 2018, hitting 10 home runs with a .792 OPS while playing steady defense.
The 2019 season would turn out to be a disastrous campaign for him, however. An illness sidelined him throughout most of spring training and he was not able to bounce back. He slashed .241/.296/.307 with 2 home runs and 28 RBI over 332 plate appearances. He was graded as the worst pitch-framer in baseball by both FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus, and he finished with -1.5 fWAR.
The Pirates non-tendered Diaz on Dec. 2. He hit .250 with 13 home runs, 82 RBI and -1 fWAR in his 250 games played with the team.
Diaz should get a serious look with the Rockies, who are desperate for catching help. Last year, the Rockies finished 28th in catcher fWAR (-1.7) and tied for last in home runs (9) despite playing in Coors Field.
The Pirates currently have catchers Jacob Stallings and Luke Maile on their 40-man roster. They could still add another backstop, either through free agency or a trade.
