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Blue Jays acquire Diaz from Cardinals

Scott Kane / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired shortstop Aledmys Diaz from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for outfield prospect J.B. Woodman, the club announced Friday.

Diaz was a surprise contributor for the Redbirds in 2016, when he hit .300/.369/.510 with 17 home runs and 65 RBIs in 111 games, finishing fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting for his efforts. He regressed in 2017, appearing in only 79 games and eventually losing his starting gig to Paul DeJong. A thumb injury caused Diaz to miss time throughout the summer.

With the Blue Jays struggling with injuries to middle infielders Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis in 2017, Diaz offers a little extra flexibility. Diaz has also played games in left field and at third base.

The newest Blue Jay is under team control for several more seasons, and will not be eligible for free agency until 2023. The 2016 All-Star also takes over for infielder Ryan Goins, who the team non-tendered earlier Friday. Darwin Barney, the team's other reserve infielder, is currently a free agent.

Going the other way, the 22-year-old Woodman was a second-round draft pick for the Blue Jays in 2016. He hasn't played above Single-A over parts of two seasons. In 2017, he hit .240/.320/.378 with seven home runs and eight stolen bases in 96 games. The problem lies with his propensity to strike out, as he was punched out in 37.6 percent of his plate appearances.

Prior to the trade, Woodman was listed as the Blue Jays' 28th-best prospect by MLB Pipeline.

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