Guardians should consider reunion with former top prospect who turned into All-Star

Remember Yandy Díaz’s blink-and-you'll-miss-it major league tenure with the Guardians? 

After signing with Cleveland for $300,000 in 2014, Díaz made his long-awaited MLB debut at the start of the 2017 season after an injury to Jason Kipnis opened up a spot on the roster for him. 

That set up a two-year period where Díaz played sparingly for Cleveland (88 games across 2017 and ‘18) because he was stuck behind José Ramírez at third base and Edwin Encarnación at first base. 

The Guardians then elected to sell high on Díaz’s potential by sending him to the Rays ahead of the 2019 season in a three-team deal that sent Encarnación to the Mariners and got Cleveland Carlos Santana and Jake Bauers. 

That trade has helped set up a star turn for Díaz, who has become a mainstay in Tampa Bay with a Silver Slugger, All-Star nod and batting title under his belt. 

Now, with the Rays restructuring their roster and Díaz’s price tag set to rise, it seems like the slugging first baseman could be available for the right price. 

While Díaz may not be a perfect fit in the Guardians’ system thanks to Kyle Manazardo being at first base, there’s no denying how much he’d help Cleveland’s offensively challenged lineup. 

The Guardians should consider a reunion with Yandy Díaz

While Díaz didn’t reach the same heights in 2025 that he did during his stellar 2023 season, he still put together another great season that was largely overlooked due to the fact he plays for the Rays. 

In 15 games last year, Díaz hit .300 with a career-high 25 home runs and 83 RBI. He finished in the 94th percentile in expected batting average, exit velocity and hard-hit rate along with posting a strikeout rate of just 14.1%. 

Díaz had always been known for his strong bat-to-ball skills and control of the strike zone, but his time with Cleveland was plagued by an inability to barrel the ball. But he was able to turn that around once he got to Tampa Bay and use his strength to hit the ball to the gaps. 

It looked like he was a bit over the hill early in 2025, but he finished the year hot and ended up leading all of baseball with 53 multihit games. 

All of that raises the question of why the Rays want to trade Díaz, and it’s quite simple. Money. While the Rays always picked up his $12 million team option for 2026, he has a $10 team option for 2027 that can turn into $13 million guaranteed if he reaches 500 plate appearances in 2026. 

The Rays have already traded away big leaguers Shane Baz, Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery this offseason, but they’re among baseball’s best at threading the needle of rebuilding on the fly while still being able to win. Any trade of Díaz would fit into that, regardless of whether it’s with the Guardians or not. 

Even if Díaz isn’t as good of a fit as a center fielder, he’d still be a great fit for the Guardians both on the field and in the clubhouse. He also wouldn’t break the bank in terms of prospect return (just as long as it doesn’t turn into the Junior Caminero trade 2.0). 

Díaz’s first stint with Cleveland was pretty unceremonious, but that doesn’t mean he could help usher in a new era of winning in 2026.