SF Giants sign former Dodgers, Orioles top prospect to minor-league deal
The SF Giants signed 27-year-old outfielder Yusniel Díaz to a minor-league contract earlier this week, according to his MLB transactions page. The deal was first reported by freelance baseball journalist Francys Romero. Díaz was long considered one of the top-100 prospects in the league and made his MLB debut with the Baltimore Orioles in 2022. However, he has yet to turn his tools into success at the Triple-A level.
Orioles OF Yusniel Díaz fields a ball in a game during spring training. (2021)
Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports
Díaz spent last season with the Dodgers Double-A affiliate, hitting .278/.374/.484 with 21 doubles, 16 home runs, 56 walks, and just 78 strikeouts in 406 plate appearances. Díaz still has an impressive collection of tools, combining above-average power potential with an excellent eye, decent speed, and a plus arm. However, he has yet to put it all together. Defensively, Díaz has been limited to the outfield corners in recent seasons, primarily playing right field.
A Cuban native, Díaz was one of the best young players in the Caribbean when he defected to sign with an MLB team prior to the 2016 season. An unrestricted free agent at the age of 18, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed the outfielder for a whopping $15.5 million signing bonus. It's worth noting that Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi was the Dodgers general manager at the time.
Díaz hit the ground running in the United States, hitting .272/.333/.418 jumping straight to High-A before his 20th birthday. Already starting to appear on top-100 prospect lists, Díaz reached Double-A before the end of the following season and demolished the hitter-friendly Texas League over 33 games.
In 2018, Díaz hit .314/.428/.477 with 10 doubles, 4 triples, and 6 home runs in 59 games with the Dodgers Double-A affiliate and was the star of the 2018 Futures Game, hitting a pair of home runs. With his stock near an all-time high, he was packaged in a trade to the Orioles for Manny Machado. Reassigned to the pitcher-friendly Double-A Eastern League, Díaz's production dipped, but was far from concerning given his youth. According to most outlets, he was considered the best prospect in the Orioles' organization.
After another productive Double-A season in 2019 was cut short by injuries, and likely prevented him from receiving a call up to Triple-A, Díaz lost the 2020 season to COVID-19 pandemic. Upon his return, Díaz was unable to rekindle his previous form. In 2021, he hit an abysmal .161/.233/.265 across the upper minors. He put together a more solid 2022 campaign, posting a .252/.348/.372 line at Triple-A, receiving his first MLB call up, receiving one plate appearance (he struck out).
However, following the 2022 season, Díaz was designated for assignment and became a minor league free agent. Once again, he signed with the Dodgers, albeit to a much less lucrative contract. Now Yusniel Díaz will have an opportunity to solidify a spot on the Sacramento River Cats roster, hoping to earn an MLB opportunity with the SF Giants.
