ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – With Brandon Lowe dealt to the Pirates, Yandy Diaz assumed the throne of the longest-tenured member of your Tampa Bay Rays.
The 34-year-old Diaz was acquired from Cleveland in December 2018 as part of a three-team trade that also included Seattle. Pitcher Cole Sulser, who seems to have nine lives with the Rays – seriously, he has had three stints with the organization – also arrived from Cleveland with Jake Bauers going the other way.
The Rays also sent cash considerations to the Mariners, who acquired Edwin Encarnacion and a draft pick from the team then known as the Indians in exchange for Carlos Santana and cash considerations. (You will be quizzed on this upon putting down your eggnog.)
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Diaz, like Lowe, became a fan favorite and has been the subject of trade rumors much of the past couple of years. He has batted .291 in seven seasons with the Rays, twice hitting .300, including winning a batting title in 2023 when he hit .330. His next homer will be his 100th in a Tampa Bay uniform, and Diaz is four shy of 400 RBI with the Rays.
Lowe was also the longest-tenured player within the Tampa Bay organization having been drafted in June 2015. It was a distinction he inherited from Rene Pinto, who the Rays signed in 2013 and waived following the 2024 season. The catcher, currently a free agent, played 83 games in three seasons (2022-24) with Tampa Bay.
Jonathan Aranda is now the longest-tenured played with the organization.
The first baseman was signed by the Rays in July 2015, one month after Lowe was drafted. The 27-year-old lefty hitter, coming off an injury-marred season in which he nonetheless was named to the all-star team and hit .317 in 106 games, made his debut with the parent club in 2022.
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