Miami Marlins trade talk: Best trade targets at catcher

Best You Should Reasonably Hope For: Elias Diaz

This next catching option should look very familiar to Miami Marlins fans, considering the role Elias Diaz just played in bashing confidence in the 2023 team to pieces this past week.

Unlike Perez, Diaz is a relative unknown, with only one standout full season to his credit. He’s also enjoying a breakout campaign in 2023, posting a ridiculous (and certain to regress) .340/.396/.531 slash line. And before you cough and mutter “Coors Field,” consider this: he’s hitting .277 on the road. Solid at any position, but All-Star worthy at catcher.

Again, regression is surely coming. Diaz is 32 years old, made his MLB debut all the way back in 2017, and needed a breakout season like this to raise his career numbers to a .252 batting average. But even if he does regress all the way to that mark, can you imagine how thrilled the Marlins would be to get a .252 batting average out of their primary catcher right now?

Cost wise, there should be no issue financially. Diaz is under contract through 2024, earning $5,500,000 in year two of a three-year, $14 million deal he signed last season. Once again, it’s a contract that lines up very nicely with Miami’s expected contention window.

Acquisition cost wise, Colorado is thin where Miami is strong — starting pitching. The Rockies should absolutely be trying to sell high on their breakout backstop, and the Marlins should absolutely be checking in on the cost.

Then again, those Rockies might be able to sell too high on a catcher who is currently doing his best Luis Arraez impression at the plate, and the Marlins are one big trade away from not having much starting pitching depth at all anymore.

So they might just do something like this next pair of options: