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The San Diego Padres have acquired Venezuelan catcher Elias Diaz after tying him to a minor league deal until the end of the season this past Monday. The 2023 All-Star Game MVP became a free agent after he was released by the Colorado Rockies on August 16. This gives Diaz a shot at playing in the postseason, as the Padres are in a strong position to reach the playoffs through a Wild Card spot.
MLB fans were surprised by the news, but they feel this was a shrewd move from the Padres to fix an issue for the team in preparation for the postseason.
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Elias Diaz is a 10-year veteran of the MLB, having made his debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2015 before joining the Colorado Rockies five years later. He was named to the All-Star team in 2023 and ended up being the MVP of the game. Diaz batted .270/.315/.378 with just 5 home runs and an OPS+ of 89 when the Rockies released him from their roster earlier this month.
However, many fans feel the Padres made a smart move by signing Diaz to a minor league deal as they expressed their thoughts on X (formerly Twitter).
"Diaz and Higgy will feed generations," one fan posted.
"That’s a good signing," wrote another fan.
"This is genius,'' another fan stated.
Despite being a backup, Kyle Higashioka has outperformed first-choice catcher this season; therefore, some fans feel the arrival of Elias Diaz spells doom for Luis Campusano.
"They must be sick of Campusano," a fan said.
"Goooood. Bye, Campy," another fan posted.
"Bye bye, Campy," another fan agreed.
Meanwhile, Elias Diaz had reportedly declined an earlier opportunity to join the San Francisco Giants, as he was not guaranteed that they would retain him on the roster after their catcher Patrick Bailey returned from the IL. Therefore, he joined the Padres on a minor league deal until the end of the year rather than have a very short stint in the MLB before getting released in September.
Elias Diaz could replace Luis Campusano by the postseason
The San Diego Padres began the 2024 season by promoting Luis Campusano to be their primary catcher, with Kyle Higashioka as the backup, who arrived as part of the Juan Soto trade. However, Higashioka has grown in stature since then, while Campusano has not quite lived up to the expectations.
Although both players have a 230-odd batting average, Campusano is slugging .373 with eight home runs and an OPS+ of 89. On the other hand, Higashioka has a .516 slugging percentage, along with 15 home runs and an OPS+ of 118, besides being far more reliable behind the plate.
Therefore, Luis Campusano will be skating on thin ice over the next few days, and Elias Diaz could replace him on the team when the Padres appear in the playoffs.
