2024 Athletics Season In Review: Aledmys Diaz
A veteran signing that just didn’t work out
Today’s 2024 player we will cover today is super utility player Aledmys Diaz.
How Was He Acquired?
The Athletics signed Diaz to a 2-year deal back on December 13, 2022 that guaranteed him $14.5MM after spending the previous few years with the division-rival Astros.
What were the expectations?
When the club signed Diaz, the hope was he could fill in all over both the dirt and grass. The team was just beginning the rebuilding process and also wanted a veteran like Diaz, who had played seven seasons and was a former All-Star (2016) and also won a World Series ring with the Astros*. The team needed to use what limited payroll they did have too, so they threw a relatively large contract to Diaz to entice him to come aboard.
2024 Results
Diaz’ time with the A’s did not go as hoped. His first year in the Green & Gold was underwhelming to say the least but with a guaranteed contract the team didn’t have much to lose letting him try to right the ship in 2024.
Things didn’t turn out that way. The 34-year-old looked even worse in Year 2 of the deal, going from a .229 batting average to a disastrous .091 mark last year after starting the year on the IL. First that ate into his playing time and once the youth movement was fully underway, the writing was on the wall for Diaz with the A’s. The club released him on July 2nd after just 12 games and 30 plate appearances, officially ending his time with the A’s. He ended up going back to Houston, where he finished the season in Triple-A.
2025 Outlook
Diaz is currently a free agent and has indicated he plans to continue playing in 2025. He’ll see him latch on with someone during the winter or at least spring training but likely on a minor league pact. And it surely won’t be with the A’s as the youth movement continues.