Diaz still hit the baseball harder than most players in the league did in 2024, but not at the same frequency he did during his career-best 2023 season. Even more concerning may be the fact his GB/FB ratio was its lowest of the past four seasons as he fell back into the familiar trap of too many groundballs. Diaz was at his best in 2023 when he hit .326 off fastballs and .387 off breaking balls but those measures fell to .287 and .278 respectively in 2024. Perhaps Diaz felt the pressure of needing to generate offense for a team which struggled to score runs most of the season as his O-Swing% was the worst of his career. The surrounding cast's struggles particularly ate into Diaz's runs scored, as he scored 40 fewer times in 2024 and drove in 13 fewer runs despite 21 extra plate appearances and a career-high 145 games played. Diaz is entering the final year of his three-year extension with Tampa Bay and could very well be dealt before the 2025 season begins if the club is confident enough in what Jonathan Aranda showed in September. Read Past Outlooks