Yandy Díaz's Contract With Tampa Bay Rays Makes List of Best Bargains in MLB

FOX Sports compiled a list of the 25 biggest bargains across MLB, and the three-year, $24 million deal the Tampa Bay Rays gave Yandy Díaz came in at No. 19.

Aug 28, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz (2) reacts after catching a line drive against the Seattle Mariners during the eighth inning at T-Mobile Park. | Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

Yandy Díaz may be the second highest-paid player on the Tampa Bay Rays' payroll heading into 2025, but his contract is still being held up as one of the best deals in baseball.

FOX Sports' Rowan Kavner compiled a list of the 25 biggest bargains across MLB on Tuesday, highlighted by Ronald Acuña Jr., Yordan Álvarez and other superstars. Díaz snuck onto the list at No. 19, though, in spite of his down year in 2024.

From Shohei Ohtani, Yordan Álvarez and José Ramírez to all those Atlanta Braves, these are baseball's best values and team-friendly signings and extensions.@RowanKavner ranks the 25 biggest bargains in 2025 ⬇️https://t.co/TxiFtbXd7B

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) January 14, 2025

The Rays initially acquired Díaz via trade in the 2019 offseason, but he didn't become an everyday member of their lineup until 2021. He took another step forward in 2022, posting a career-high 3.4 WAR and finishing 20th in AL MVP voting.

That pushed Tampa Bay's front office to offer Díaz an extension, and the corner infielder bit. He signed a three-year, $24 million contract at the start of 2023, which included a $12 million club option for 2026.

Díaz, making just $6 million in 2023, proceeded to hit .330 with 22 home runs, 35 doubles, 78 RBI, a .932 OPS and a 5.2 WAR that season. On top of winning the AL batting title and a Silver Slugger Award, Díaz was named to his first All-Star Game and placed sixth in the AL MVP race.

While he was unable to match that production in 2024, Díaz still hit .281 with 14 home runs, 31 doubles, 65 RBI, a .755 OPS and a 1.6 WAR at a palatable $8 million salary.

Díaz is slated to make $10 million in 2025, which is just $500K less than second baseman Brandon Lowe. There are rumors that Tampa Bay might look to trade Díaz, further cutting payroll while giving another club a chance to benefit from the first baseman's team-friendly deal.

If Díaz can continue to be a dependable bat, his $12 million option should get picked up without hesitation. He would then hit free agency as a 35-year-old veteran in 2027, unlikely to score another long-term payday barring a second late-career breakout.

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