Pirates Claim Slick-Fielding 1B Lewin Díaz From Marlins

The Pittsburgh Pirates have added another first baseman into the fold as they have claimed first baseman Lewin Díaz off waivers from the Miami Marlins, according to SportsGrid’s Craig Mish.

Díaz, who just turned 26, was designated for assignment by the Marlins last week.

Díaz is a first baseman who had some pedigree as a prospect, but hasn’t been able to put it all together at the big league level.

In 112 games with Miami split between the last three seasons, Díaz has only hit .181 with a .567 OPS. He has recorded 13 homers and has driven in 27 runs.

The left-handed hitter does have success in the minor leagues. Last year in Triple-A, Díaz hit .252 with a .492 slugging percentage and 19 home runs in 82 games.

For his minor league career, he owns a .263 batting average, a .792 OPS, 147 doubles, 102 home runs and 378 RBIs in 614 games.

Defensively, things have gone much better for Díaz, who has posted an impressive 16 defensive runs saved in 99 games at first base in the big leagues and has had a reputation as a strong defender throughout his pro career.

Díaz originally signed with the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in 2013. He was traded to Miami from the Twins in 2017 in a deal that sent right-handed reliever Sergio Romo back to Minnesota.

For the Pirates, they are hoping that a change of scenery will benefit the native of the Dominican Republic to get his career back on track at the big league level.

This is the second left-handed hitting first baseman the Pirates have acquired this offseason. The Bucs traded for Ji-Man Choi earlier in the month, picking him up from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Lewin Díaz is out of minor league options.

With a full 40-man roster, a corresponding move will be needed to make room.