Cardinals trade Diaz to Blue Jays for outfield prospect Woodman
ST. LOUIS -- Just over 16 months after he was named to the NL All-Star team as a rookie, Aledmys Diaz is no longer a member of the Cardinals organization.
Diaz was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday evening in exchange for minor-league outfielder J.B. Woodman.
Woodman, who turns 23 on December 13, was the Blue Jays' second-round pick (57th overall) in the 2016 draft out of the University of Mississippi. He spent the 2017 season for Lansing of the Class A Midwest League, where he appeared in 96 games, batting .240 with 19 doubles, five triples, seven home runs and 45 RBIs.
Diaz made his major league debut on April 5, 2016 and became the first Cardinals rookie since Albert Pujols to reach the All-Star Game as a rookie. In his first professional season, he hit .300 and finished fifth in National League Rookie of the Year voting. Diaz began the season with St. Louis in 2017, though he was demoted to Triple-A Memphis in late June. He helped the Redbirds win a Pacific Coast League championship before rejoining the Cardinals to finish out the season in September.
The Cardinals also announced on Friday that they have tendered contracts to the remaining players on their 40-man major league roster who were not already signed for 2018. Following the Diaz trade, the Cardinals' roster currently stands at 38 players.
