Free-agent relief pitcher Jairo Diaz signed a minor league deal with the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday. Diaz didn't pitch in the majors in 2021, but the right-hander has some closing experience (nine saves in his last two seasons) and will provide the Mariners with some relief depth this year. The 30-year-old had four saves for the Colorado Rockies in 2020, but he was rough otherwise, sporting a 7.65 ERA, 2.25 WHIP and 17 strikeouts in 20 innings over 24 relief appearances. Diaz has a 4.86 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP with 108 strikeouts and 47 walks in 107 1/3 relief innings over five big-league seasons. Expect him to begin the year with Triple-A Tacoma.
Free-agent relief pitcher Jairo Diaz had a pitching session in Miami on Monday. More than a dozen teams attended the pitching session, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. The 30-year-old missed the entirety of the 2021 season due to injury, but he was in the mix for saves as a member of the Colorado Rockies in 2019 and 2020. Over that two-year stretch, he converted nine of his 12 save attempts. Coors Field certainly took its toll on Diaz, as he had a 4.96 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over 105 appearances in a Rockies jersey from 2015 to 2020. We'll see if a change of scenery can enable him to become a trusted bullpen arm.
Free-agent right-hander Jairo Diaz will throw for interested teams on Monday in Miami. The hard-throwing reliever didn't make an appearance in a major league game last year due to injury, and he last appeared out of the bullpen in the big leagues in 2020 with the Colorado Rockies, posting a 7.65 ERA and 2.25 WHIP in 20 relief innings. The 30-year-old Venezuelan began his major league career with the Los Angeles Angels in 2014, and he has a career 4.86 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 9.1 K/9 in 107 1/3 innings over 110 relief appearances over five seasons.
Colorado Rockies reliever Jairo Diaz, who was designated for assignment on Opening Day cleared waivers on Monday. He's now been assigned to the club's alternate site where he'll serve as bullpen depth. Diaz had a rough spring when he put up a 10.24 ERA, 2.17 WHIP, and 9:4 K/BB ratio over 9 2/3 innings of Cactus League play. The Rockies needed to make space for RHP Jhoulys Chacin, who they signed just before the start of the regular season, so designating Diaz was the obvious choice. He saw limited time as Colorado's closer back in 2020 but did not perform very well. He should be back up with the big league club at some point this season but he's way off the fantasy radar whenever that day comes.
Colorado Rockies reliever Jairo Diaz is having a horrible spring. He's put up a putrid 10.24 ERA, 2.17 WHIP, and 9:4 K/BB ratio over 9 2/3 innings of Cactus League play. The 29-year-old Diaz agreed to a one-year, $1.1 million deal with the Rockies this offseason after spending part of 2020 as the team's closer. He ended up notching four saves last season but that went along with a 7.65 ERA, 2.25 WHIP, and 17:14 K/BB ratio over 20 innings. Even with Scott Oberg (blood clots) likely done for the season Diaz would be fourth in line for save opportunities this year. Daniel Bard is the team's closer while Mychal Givens and Carlos Estevez should serve as setup men and work high-leverage innings. Diaz could eventually be in the mix for saves depending on potential performance and injury issues but he's not worth rostering, even in the deepest of SVH leagues.
Colorado Rockies right-handed pitcher Jairo Diaz stepped into the closer's role Sunday and notched his first save of 2020 in Wade Davis absence. The closers spot in Colorado has been contentious since Davis arrival and subsequent decline in production, but Diaz has now worked 4 scoreless innings this year and could be in line to take over the job. With saves up for grabs in Colorado with Davis on the injured list, owners can tentatively begin targeting Diaz with the caveat of noting that hell have to weather Coors Field to lock down many of said save chances.
With a one-run lead on Wednesday, the Colorado Rockies turned to reliever Jairo Diaz to finish out the ninth inning. Diaz got the job done, but he made it plenty exciting in the process. With the tying run on second and the winning run on first, Rangel Ravelo ripped a line drive into the left-center gap. Fortunately, left fielder Ian Desmond happened to be shaded that way and the liner hung up just enough to make it an easy play. Diaz has finished off the last two games and notched both saves, so expect him to get Thursday off, but he should be back at it afterwards. With how poorly the Rockies have played, there aren't going to be a ton of opportunities, but it looks like Diaz is getting the nod enough that he might be able to score a couple more saves for owners before the season is done.
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jairo Diaz was named by manager Bud Black as someone who will get save chances for the rest of this season as the team tries to figure out the debacle that is their bullpen. Diaz has been quite good for the last month or so, carrying a 1.46 ERA with a 17/2 K/BB ratio since July 25. He throws hard, his home/road splits aren't atrocious like some other Colorado pitchers, and he attacks the plate, regularly striking out more than three batters for every walk he issues. This will be his first chance in the big chair, so he shouldn't be heavily invested in just yet, but for those who are desperate to make a late-season push, he could help them out.
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Jairo Diaz has been maddeningly inconsistent this season, and he was up to his tricks again on Friday night. Coming off two clean outings against the Diamondbacks, Diaz was called in to pitch the ninth inning in a tied game where German Marquez had pitched eight wonderful frames. Diaz led it off with a strikeout and then drew a ground out from Cody Bellinger, one of the most dangerous hitters in baseball. A walk to Max Muncy wasn't ideal, but sitting on two outs with rookie Matt Beaty at the plate seemed like the perfect situation. Diaz instead grooved a 1-0 batting-practice fastball right down the middle of the plate, thigh-high, and Beaty deposited it five feet over the wall in center field. This makes Diaz's third meltdown in five outings, following a stretch of eight scoreless appearances. The team may have hope for Diaz, but fantasy owners should seek holds elsewhere.
Jairo Díaz
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Mariners
