April 14, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays first baseman
Yandy Diaz blasted his second home run of the season in Sunday's 8-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. The home run came in the first inning off
Chris Sale, the 2024 NL Cy Young winner. Diaz has gotten off to a slow start to the season, but in his last six games, he has gone 7-for-23 (.304). So far this season, Diaz is now slashing .210/.242/.355, scoring eight runs with three RBI, to go along with the two home runs. Diaz is a career .287 hitter, so fantasy managers should expect him to turn it around as he's barrelling the ball up and still ranks in the 82nd percentile in hard-hit percentage. Next for Diaz and the Rays is a series against divisional rivals, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Diaz will look to keep it going and stay hot at the plate.
--Nicho Roessler - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
March 14, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays first baseman
Yandy Diaz is going to stick around with the organization for a few more seasons. On Friday, the Rays picked up Diaz's $12 million team option for 2026 and added a vesting option for the 2027 season. This is noteworthy because Diaz was subject to plenty of trade rumors this offseason, but it appears the Rays want to hold onto the slugging corner infielder. Last season, Diaz slashed .281/.341/.755 with 14 home runs and 65 RBI across 145 games with the Rays. That was actually a down year for Diaz who hit .330 with 22 homers in 2023. He has been a reliable bat for a handful of years and that should remain the case heading into 2025.
--Andy Webb - RotoBallerSource: Ryan Bass
March 11, 2025
The Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin writes that the Tampa Bay Rays are considering dropping first baseman
Yandy Diaz down in the lineup from the leadoff spot as a way to boost their offense in 2025. Diaz has served as the team's leadoff hitter the last two seasons, but the 33-year-old veteran could be moved down in order to increase his RBI opportunities. In the leadoff spot, Diaz won the American League batting title with a .330 batting average in 2023, so he's done well in the lineup spot, but a move down would also give him more chances to drive in runs. Despite the talk about moving Diaz down, he has mostly served as the leadoff man this spring. Regardless of lineup position, fantasy managers can't expect Diaz to ever be as good as he was in 2023, especially if he continues to hit more ground balls. He ranks as RotoBaller's No. 19 fantasy first baseman. A trade might be the best thing for his fantasy value going forward.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Tampa Bay Times - Marc Topkin
January 31, 2025
According to Pat Ragazzo of Sports Illustrated, the New York Mets have checked in on first baseman
Yandy Diaz. Sources have reported that the Mets have shown interest in Diaz earlier this offseason, but the Rays were unwilling to part with the first baseman. However, given this recent report, the Rays may be open to a trade discussion, especially after they added another infielder,
Ha-Seong Kim, earlier this week. The Mets have also contacted other teams looking for a first baseman, including the Detroit Tigers for
Spencer Torkelson and the Baltimore Orioles for
Ryan Mountcastle. The Mets remain in discussions with
Pete Alonso but have begun to have preliminary discussions for an alternative option. Last season, Diaz posted a .281/.341/.414 line with 14 home runs.
--Andy Smith - RotoBallerSource: Pat Ragazzo
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