In a rare victory for the player’s side in arbitration this year, an arbiter has sided with IF Aledmys Diaz. The Houston Astros will have to pay him $2.6M.
Houston Astros utilityman Aledmys Diaz got some good news yesterday in reference to his arbitration case.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, The young man from Villa Clara, Cuba was victorious in his arbitration hearing, essentially watching his salary rise to $2.6M. The Astors’ counter-offered $2M.
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Diaz who is represented by Jaime Torres has a little over three years of MLB service time. This was his first year of eligibility for arbitration since completing the 4-year, $8M contract he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Last season Díaz was a Jack of all trades for Houston. He’d wind up playing first, third, shortstop, second, and even saw time in the outfield.
In 69 games last season Diaz hit .271 with 9 HR, 40 RBIs, and an OPS + of 114. During the season the versatile Cuban also slashed .356/.467/.823 and posted a WAR of 1.4.
In a major league career that spans four years and 389 games with the Cards, the Toronto Blue Jays, and now the Houston Astros, the one-time All-Star has splits of .275/.330/.459/.789.
Diaz who was a lifelong friend of the late Jose Fernández played a total of 342 games in the Cuban National Series where he hit .307 with 27 round-trippers and 165 RBIs in 1,125 at-bats.
The Antillean decided to defect during a 2012 tournament in the Netherlands and wasn’t eligible to sign with a major league club until 2014 due to inconsistencies in his paperwork.
With Aledmys Diaz’s victory, the teams hold a 6-4 edge of the players in arbitration cases this winter.