Former Dodgers Top Prospect Signs MiLB Deal With Rival Giants

The Dodgers have a long history of signing strong international prospects, but sometimes even they get things wrong. One of those was outfielder Yusniel Díaz, who never fully lived up to the hype that surrounded him.

Díaz originally signed with the Dodgers back in 2015 out of Cuba on a deal worth $15.5 million. He was a high-profile signing for LA but ended up being sent to the Baltimore Orioles in the team’s 2018 trade deadline deal for infielder Manny Machado.

Díaz ended up coming back to Los Angeles after being outrighted by Baltimore, signing a minor league deal with the Dodgers this past February. He spent the year with Tulsa in Double-A, but elected free agency after the season. 

And it seems that Díaz has found a new home. He has agreed to a minor league contract with the rival San Francisco Giants.

Landing with the Giants does make some sense considering that their president of baseball operations is Farhan Zaidi. He was the Dodgers general manager when they originally signed Díaz and now gets the chance to have him in his organization again.

Díaz had a decent year in the minor leagues, slashing .278/.374/.484 with 16 home runs and 60 runs batted in over 94 games played. He likely will need to work his way up in the Giants system, but San Francisco may have a serviceable player to turn to down the line if he continues to perform.

While it’s unfortunate that he didn’t work out with the Dodgers, maybe he will finally break through with the Giants.

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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