On December 13, 2018, the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners took part in a three-team trade. Tampa Bay sent highly touted infield prospect Jake Bauers and $5 million to the then Cleveland Indians in exchange for a 27 year-old infielder that was out of options in Cleveland and couldn't elevate the ball at the plate.

The Trade

Here are the full trade details from the December 13th trade that caught many by surprise and left Rays fans upset to see what they thought was their first baseman of the future depart:

Tampa Bay Receives: INF Yandy Diaz and RP Cole Sulser

Cleveland Receives: 1B/OF Jake Bauers, 1B Carlos Santana, & cash from Mariners & Rays

Seattle Receives: 1B/DH Edwin Encarnacion and Competitive Balance Round B draft pick (Isaiah Campbell)

Track Record

Like many trades made by Erik Neander and the Rays front office, fans and media personalities around the league questioned the thought process behind the deal. However, the potential for Diaz to find success in Tampa Bay was clearly visible due to his ability to hit the ball hard at a constant rate. In fact, in 2017 & 2018, Diaz's 47.6% Hard-Hit Rate ranked 19th in all of baseball. Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees sat atop that list with a Hard-Hit Rate of 54.6%.

Flash Forward

Fast forward a few years, and Diaz's potential is showing off in a big way, as his Average Exit Velocity ranks in the 89th percentile in 2022. Furthermore, Diaz is among the best at showing off his patience at the plate, as he ranks in the 98th and 96th percentile in Whiff % and Chase Rate, respectively.

Less than a week away from the All Star Break, Diaz finds himself 2nd in the American League in On-Base Percentage, just 2 decimal points behind Luis Arraez's .420 OBP.

The Other Side

As for Jake Bauers, he has been on a steady decline ever since the Rays shipped him off to Cleveland. In 2019 & 2021 with the Indians, Bauers hit .218 with a .656 OPS in a combined 160 games. Ironically, Bauers was traded to the Mariners – who were the third team involved in the Yandy Diaz trade – on June 10, 2021

Unfortunately for Bauers, his struggles continued in Seattle, as he posted a .572 OPS in 72 games with the Mariners.

In 2022, Bauers spent time with the Reds AAA squad before being dealt to the Yankees, where he currently finds himself with the Scranton Wilkes-Barre Railriders hitting .225 with a .758 OPS in 22 games.

Fleece

It doesn't take an expert to conclude that Tampa Bay fleeced Cleveland by trading Bauers and a few million dollars for Diaz, who has been one of the most consistent hitters in baseball since arriving in Tampa Bay.

He's not going to blow anyone away with monster-shot home runs or highlight-reel plays at third base. However, with his ability to hit the ball extremely hard and get on base at a rate higher than just about anyone else, Diaz has proven that Cleveland clearly wasn't utilizing their 27-year-old infielder that couldn't elevate the baseball at the plate properly.