Padres acquire 2023 All-Star amid NL West chase of Dodgers
The San Diego Padres are chasing down the Los Angeles Dodgers for the National League West crown. On Monday, they added a piece that could help them along the way. Catcher Elias Diaz is making his way from the Colorado Rockies to the Padres, according to Rafael Petit of Petit Sports.
The minor league contract brings a new catcher into the Padres organization who is having a solid season. Diaz is hitting .270 in 84 games with the Rockies this season. Colorado cut Diaz on August 16 to make room for young catchers they have in their pipeline. Now, Diaz joins a heated playoff race.
The Rockies should have traded Diaz away at the trade deadline if they did not feel he had a role on the team. They have only won 48 games and are well out of the playoff picture. They did not make many trades that could improve their team in the future and ate money to dump Diaz when they did. Moves like these are the reason the Rockies are on their way to 100 losses again.
Kyle Higashioka has been spectacular in his first season with the Padres. After making his way over from New York in the Juan Soto trade, Higashioka has hit 15 home runs in 64 games. 25-year-old Luis Campusano has played more games but is only hitting .231 with eight home runs. Where could Diaz fit in on the big league squad moving forward?
Elias Diaz’s fit on the San Diego Padres
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Elias Diaz is a higher caliber player than is usually found on the scrap heap at this point in the season. He was the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player last year and has proven to be a solid defensive catcher. He has a fielding percentage of .991, only making four errors in 67 games behind the plate.
The Padres could use Diaz as a veteran option instead of Campusano down the stretch. While he is the catcher of the future, Campusano has struggled at the plate this season. His 81 OPS+ is worse than Higashioka’s and Diaz’, 118 and 89 respectively, despite his catching stats being comparable to those of Diaz.
San Diego has also struggled with injuries for the past two seasons. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Ha-Seong Kim are both working their way back from injuries and are leaving massive holes in the lineup. Those holes have been filled by a Rookie-of-the-year-caliber season from Jackson Merrill.
The most important piece of this season for Diaz is ensuring he produces at whatever level he plays with the Padres. While the contract’s information has not been announced yet, it can be assumed that he is only on board for the remainder of this year. Catcher is an extremely important position and a team could give Diaz a big-time contract to be their backup catcher.
The addition of Diaz likely does not have much impact on the National League West race. He will be a great replacement if one of the Padres’ current catchers is injured. Until then, expect Kyle Higashioka and Luis Campusano to continue to play in San Diego.
The post Padres acquire 2023 All-Star amid NL West chase of Dodgers appeared first on ClutchPoints.
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