Colorado Rockies catcher Elias Diaz hits an RBI single against the San Francisco Giants at Coors Field on September 24, 2021. (Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)Photo: Getty Images
The Colorado Rockies have found their catcher.
The club and Elias Diaz agreed on a three-year contract worth a reported $14.5 million on Thursday.
Diaz hit only .125 for the Rockies through the first two months of last season. But he rebounded nicely and finished with a .246 average with career-highs in home runs (18, tied for third among N.L. catchers), RBIs (44) and games played (106).
Diaz joined the Rockies before the 2020 season, having spent parts of five seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The deal turned out to be a good birthday present for Diaz, who turned 31 on Wednesday, November 17.
COLORADO ROCKIES REACH CONTRACT AGREEMENT WITH
CATCHER ELIAS DÍAZ
The Colorado Rockies announced today that they have agreed to terms with catcher Elias Díaz on a three-year contract spanning the 2022-24 seasons. The agreement covers one year of arbitration and two years of free agency.
Díaz, 31, slashed .246/.310/.464 through 106 games for the Rockies in 2021 with a career-high 18 home runs, tied for the third-most among NL catchers … 37 extra-base hits (18 2B, 3B, 18 HR) were tied for the fifth-most by a catcher in a single season in franchise history … 14 catcher caught stealings were the seventh-most in the Majors and his 42.1 caught stealing percentage was the second-highest in the Majors (min. 60 GS) behind Salvador Pérez (43.9%) … signed with the Rockies as a Minor League free agent in January of 2020 and had his contract selected by the club on July 22 of the same season … hit .235 (16-for-68) through 26 games for the Rockies in 2020 … originally signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as a non-drafted international free agent out of Maracaibo, Venezuela on May 14, 2009 … appeared in 250 games for the Pirates 2015-19, batting .250 (187-for-749) with 40 doubles, 13 home runs and 82 RBI … holds a career .248 average (121-for-1,155) with 60 doubles, one triple, 33 home runs and 135 RBI through 382 Major League games.