The MLB Winter Meetings ended with a surprising move by the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. 23-year old first baseman Jake Bauers has been traded to the Cleveland Indians, in exchange for 27-year old Yandy Diaz and a minor-league pitching prospect.
Bauers made his MLB debut in June and hit .201 with 11 HR and 48 RBI in 96 games during the 2018 season. Many baseball experts expected the lefty to be part of the Rays' core group of players as the team hopes to make another playoff run in 2019. Instead, he was used in a trade to acquire a versatile right-handed hitting Cuban infielder.
Diaz was the Indians' opening day third baseman in 2017, and hit .312 in 39 games in 2018. He has appeared in 88 career games in the majors and has a career average of .283 with 1 HR and 28 RBI. He has position versatility, something the Rays are always interested in, having played at 3B, 1B and LF in the majors.
He has a strong track record of success in the minor leagues, with a career minor league average of .311, and has twice led the International League in on-base percentage (.409 in 2018, .399 in 2016). Diaz was signed as an international free agent in 2013, after having played for the Cuban National Team for several years.
The deal was part of a larger three-way deal that involved the Indians and the Seattle Mariners swapping slugging first basemen, with Edwin Encarnacion headed to the Pacific Northwest and Carlos Santana, who has now been traded twice this offseason, landing in Cleveland.
The Rays also acquired minor league pitcher Cole Sulser, a 28-year old righty who pitched for Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus last season. He struck out 95 batters in 60.2 innings and had a combined ERA of 3.86 between the two levels.