Expos trade for Einar Diaz

[WebHamster]

Viera, FL (Sports Network) - The Montreal Expos acquired catcher Einar Diaz from the Texas Rangers on Saturday.

Diaz comes over from Texas along with pitcher Justin Echols and cash in exchange for infielder/catcher Josh McKinley and pitcher Chris Young.

The 31-year-old Diaz provides the Expos with an experienced backup to starter Brian Schneider. Diaz is a career .259 hitter who came over from Cleveland prior to last season to replace Ivan Rodriguez as Texas starting catcher.

Diaz is slated to make over $2 million this season. The Rangers are expected to pay a large portion of his 2004 salary.

McKinley was the Expos' first-round pick in 1998.

[Madison]

Looks like Laird is going to get his shot in Texas. Going to have to keep an eye on him.

[matmat]

anyone have any projections for Laird? He's done quite well in ST, as far as I can tell...

[Arlo]

I'm not all that high on Laird; his minor league numbers aren't terribly impressive. Playing in that park with that lineup makes him worth watching, though, and he's worth a flyer in relatively deep leagues.

In any case, I like the move for Texas. Giving the job to Laird seems like the right thing to do, and McKinley looked like he turned the corner at Harrisburg last season. Young also isn't bad, but I'm not sure he's a huge upgrade over Echols in the long run.