The Rockies placed veteran catcher Elias Díaz on waivers this afternoon, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. The process will be resolved on Friday. Díaz is eligible to play while he’s on waivers, though that’s immaterial with Colorado having an off day tomorrow.
It’s possible but by no means guaranteed that this marks the end of his four-plus year stint in Denver. Waivers are irrevocable, so the Rockies cannot retract the placement if another team makes a claim. If he goes unclaimed, the Rox could simply retain him on the MLB roster for the last six weeks of the season.
Colorado reportedly expressed openness to moving Díaz before the trade deadline. The New York Post’s Jon Heyman wrote at the time that the Rox weren’t planning to explore another extension with the impending free agent. Since the Rox are out of playoff contention, there was little reason for them not to try to get some kind of young talent in return. Rosenthal writes that the Rockies didn’t find any team with significant interest in a trade, though, and Colorado ultimately held him past the deadline.
There’s no longer any chance for the Rockies to get anything in return for Díaz. MLB did away with the old August revocable waiver trade system back in 2019. Any player who has been on a 40-man roster during the season cannot be traded after the deadline. The only benefit to Colorado in placing Díaz on waivers is possible cost savings.
The 33-year-old catcher is playing this year on a $6MM salary. There’ll be a little over $1.4MM to be paid out between Friday and the end of the season. A claiming team would take that entire sum off Colorado’s books. Teams cannot negotiate with the Rockies to pay down a portion of the remaining money. A waiver acquisition is an all or nothing move. Díaz would be eligible for postseason play if another club put in a claim since he’d be in their organization before the start of September.
Díaz had the best season of his career in 2023. He connected on 14 homers with a .267/.316/.409 slash line over a career-high 526 plate appearances. Díaz popped another home run in the All-Star Game and collected the Midsummer Classic’s MVP award. His offensive production has taken a step back this season, as he’s hitting .270/.315/.378 over 84 contests. That’s still reasonable production for a #2 catcher, and Díaz has had a strong year defensively. He has cut down nearly 28% of stolen base attempts and has slightly above-average pitch framing grades from Statcast.
Clubs tend to be reluctant to acquire catchers midseason — Danny Jansen and Carson Kelly were the only backstops traded at the deadline — because of the challenge of quickly learning a new pitching staff’s strengths and weaknesses. Still, Díaz’s production this season would be an upgrade on what some teams have gotten out of their backup options.
Waiver priority is inverse order of the standings without regard to American or National League. The White Sox have the top priority, followed by the Marlins. Neither team is going to put in a claim, since there’s no incentive for them to take on the salary of an impending free agent.
The Cubs, who are 5.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot in the NL, are relying on a catching tandem of Miguel Amaya and Christian Bethancourt. Public estimates have them right on the border of the luxury tax threshold, though, and it’s hard to believe they’d claim Díaz for a very long shot playoff push if doing so moved them past that line. The Rays have fallen 6.5 back of a Wild Card spot and might not consider a claim worthwhile. The Mariners, Padres and Diamondbacks are a little further down the waiver order but could be potential fits.
A claim would allow Díaz to participate in a playoff race while shaving a bit of money from Colorado’s books. It’d presumably set the stage for the Rox to take their first look at prospect Drew Romo, whom they view as the catcher of the future. They’ll need to add Romo to the 40-man roster to keep him out of the Rule 5 draft by next offseason. The 35th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Romo is hitting .297/.339/.499 this year with Triple-A Albuquerque.
Uh questionable move
The 5th place Rox hardly need him.
True, but a pair of lotto tickets is better than the literally nothing they would get for him now
Who knows with the Rockies but 1 catcher was traded for a ok return and then another was traded for a weak return. I’d rather have both those catchers than Diaz. I doubt the Rockies missed out on anything. What teams needed a catcher? Guess we will find out 1 of them if he gets claimed.
Questionable move was not dealing him at the deadline
Hard to say without knowing what was offered
“Rox should have moved him” and what if offers were only rule 5 eligible guys who you’d need to protect in the off season by removing someone from your 40 man?
If they were offered some 18-19 year old lotto tickets sure they should have moved him. But if all they got were rule 5 eligible guys you don’t like compared to who you already plan to protect I get why they didn’t.
But then why trade for a piece you have no interest in? If you’re not gonna protect them what’s the point of trading for them? Trade for a dude you hope doesn’t get picked or you hope gets returned if picked? Why add someone like that to disrupt playing time for guys you prefer more in the minors?
Takes 2 to trade
Makes 0 sense to trade for someone you don’t have interest in and who will require playing time that potentially cuts into playing time for other guys you value higher in your organization. If all you were offered were players you don’t value as highly as the ones you currently have makes 0 sense to acquire someone esp if they’re rule 5 eligible.
Unless you’re just gonna trade for a dude and sit him on the bench which also makes 0 sense. Just wasting a roster spot in the minors.
There’s no reason to make a trade just for the sake of making a trade
If all that was offered was nobodies who are rule 5 eligible that would
Require a roster spot in the minors pushing someone else you like more off
Require playing time in said minors cutting into playing time of guys you like more than them
There’s really no logical reason to make a trade for the sake of making a trade.
“BuT YoU LoSe ThEm FoR nOtHiNg”
Guys who are rule 5 eligible require a 40 man spot soon as they’re traded. Meaning. Someone gets bumped. They also require a minors spot which means someone gets bumped.
Your brain. Use it.
They would have moved him, but there was unfortunate timing with a calf strain and then a smaller injury to the other calf caused by coming back a little too early and overcompensating. By the time he got past the injury, it was already past the deadline.
He was healthy and playing at the deadline what are you talking about?
He was playing, but he was not fully healthy.
I know people don’t like to read anymore but the article specifically states he was shopped at the deadline but no teams had any interest.
The 3 game sweep by the Guardians has all but sealed the Cubs fate . Even if they somehow manage to sweep the Blue Jays they’d be right back where they were on Saturday. Besides since April, I don’t think they’ve won a series against a winning team at all. So what would be the point? Maybe sign him for next year if they can’t find anything better but I’m assuming there will be. Assuming Future Hall of Famer Logan O’Hoppe is off the table.
Jed never gives up hope! Shota Mania is still alive!
It’s a Rockies move so of course it’s “questionable.”
Some team will pick Diaz up.
And why didn’t you trade him a couple weeks ago Rockies?
Good gosh
“Rosenthal writes that the Rockies didn’t find any team with significant interest in a trade, though.”
A trade requires interest from another team.
Trading 101
Don’t believe everything a sports journalist writes
Any interest whatsoever. You take what you can get it’s better than nothing.
Wait…you mean I just can’t email all the teams and say “somebody give me something for Elias Diaz” and I won’t automatically get offers?
The Rockies could make the offers. Stop thinking like a millennial and get out and make it happen.
He was hurt. Not that many teams wanted a catcher and none wanted an injured catcher.
No he wasnt
Did you watch the games? You could see him barely able to run.
I know people don’t like to read anymore but the article specifically states he was shopped at the deadline but no teams had any interest.
No interest whatsoever?
I don’t think so
We all know how the Trade Deadline works:
1.Fewer Buyers than Sellers
2. Demand for Catcher upgrades less than other positions (2 mo to learn a staff)
3. Upgrades available at catcher position less than other positions.
4. Demand for injured catchers limited.
He wasn’t injured quit saying that.
You take whatever you can get. And let’s not forget the Rockies have done this year after year. Trevor Story publicly said he had no idea why he wasn’t traded.
I live in Denver from St Louis. This franchise is pathetic it really is.
He was literally on the Injured List for half the month of July. Why can’t you accept that?
That is literally false. Look it up. No clue what you are looking at check again.
My bad he was activated the last day of June. But he was still hurt even though he was playing in July. He had to take several days off because he hurt the good leg compensating for the bad leg, but he didn’t get IL’d. I know because I watch every damn game the Rockies play. And that is the last word I am going to say about it. If you want to argue, find someone else.
You watch all the Rockies games?
Dude you must LOVE baseball lol. I live in Denver I will be there in late September for the Cardinals games.
Not trying to argue with you chief but you literally said he was on the IL when he wasn’t.
Makes you wonder what the deadline offers were. You can make no assumptions with this front office/owner. Diaz must have p*ssed somebody off for them to do this.
Just a way to save $ and give him a chance to play meaningful baseball.
The first part of your statement is the reason. They don’t care about giving him an opportunity to play meaningful baseball.
Money isn’t the only reason for them to do it. Did you miss the part in the article about how their top catching prospect is going to be rule 5 eligible this offseason? I don’t think any team would do this solely as a favor to the player by giving them a chance to play for a contender. But they are going to save the money if he’s claimed regardless of all that. So it makes it a lot easier to think of it as a win win thus scenario. The club always gets some benefit if they decide to waive a guy at this point if he’s claimed.
The Rockies make me mad
You are a Cubs fan, so why do you care?
The Rockies have 2 catchers from the Albuquerque Isotopes that can replace Diaz. Willie MacIver .304 AVG, 15 HR, .967 OPS, and Drew Romo .297 AVG, 14 HR, .838 OPS
OPS for catchers is not the important part. Any offense for a catcher is just a bonus. His real worth is his defense and his ability to help improve a pitching staff.
I disagree. Alex Jackson for the Rays can’t hit his weight and yeah, he has good defense, but he’s killed so many rallies with his bat it’s not even funny.
The goal for any good defense/bad offense player is to take away more runs defensively than you kill offensively. Just like it is the opposite for good offense/bad defense guys. You hope to score more than you give up. With bad hitters, a lot of it just depends on setting up the lineup correctly by not putting your hottest hitters directly ahead of the weak hitter. But sometimes surprise guys at the bottom of the lineup have good days.
As well as former Albuquerque Isotopes catcher, Hunter Goodman. I hope they give him a good long look. Though he most likely moves to OF or 1B
With as many OFs as the Rockies have on the way and already on the team, Goodman is most likely going to be slotted at catcher if he remains with the team.
Cubs
Maybe the Rockies offered Diaz to the Cubs for little.
And Hoyer said, even though he’s on the IL for the rest of the season, we don’t want to trade Little.
And then the Rockies offered to trade Diaz to the Padres for little.
And AJ said we won’t Grant that request.
Was it little or Little, I am confused. (there is also a Littel)
One of them said that the sky is falling
Rockies proving again they are stupidest franchise in MLB
How so?
The only real fit right now on a competitive team is Cleveland. That’s if they still have options on Bo Naylor, who’s slash line is weak. Maybe send him down until September 1st, then see who steps up between Diaz, Naylor and Hedges; then go from there towards the postseason…
Odd;y enough, I’m sure Hedges has his spot locked down. He is this generation’s Jeff Mathis. He will probably ease into a coaching role as well, seems like he’d be a perfect fit.
Diaz is a glove first catcher. He plays in Colorado and has been lucky. The luck can continue for a month and a half but if it doesn’t he is basically Bo with fewer strike outs. Which is a upgrade but enough to bring in a new catcher to learn the staff in a month and half before playoffs?
Hedges has transformed himself into the 2021 version of Martin Maldonado. Soon Vogt will develop severe man crush on Hedges, he will start every damn day, solidify a steady .156 batting average, and have psychic pre-cognition communication skills with each pitcher.
Blue Jays please!
There was also an attempt by the Rockies to put their entire bullpen on the waiver wire, but the waiver wire said no thanks.
Bashing the Rockies for not trading him misses the point, he wasn’t gonna go anywhere anyways. None of the teams “experts” linked him to made any sense whatsoever and lo and behold he stayed put. I’m guessing he goes unclaimed.
What hurt them the most was the Cubs falling out of the race and deciding not to buy at the deadline. Diaz to the Cubs made more sense than just about anything. But take them out of the equation and there just wasn’t a proper fit anymore.
2023 Trade Deadline. Players sent out.
Mike Moustakas
Randall Grichuk
CJ Cron
Pierce Johnson
Brad Hand
Wouldn’t any team interested on signing him in free agency claim him?
Why didn’t they just trade him and others at the deadline? No light at the end of the tunnel for this organization
Here’s your chance, Tampa!
I am constantly how many non-Rockies fans come here to denigrate the Rockies, most of whom can’t read.