The St. Louis Cardinals announced this evening that they have acquired minor league outfielder J.B. Woodman from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for infielder Aledmys Diaz.
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 playing mostly center field and right field for Lansing (A) in the Midwest League, where he appeared in 96 games batting .240 with 87 hits, 19 doubles, five triples, seven home runs and 45 RBI.
The left-handed hitting Woodman is 6-foot-2, 195 pounds and throws right-handed. He helped Ole Miss reach the College World Series in his freshman year, and by his junior year in 2016, he tied for the Southeastern Conference lead with 14 home runs and was named a college All-American. After signing with the Blue Jays in ’16, Woodman hit .272 at short-season Vancouver before a late-season promotion to Lansing. Woodman, a native of Orlando, Fla., was previously drafted by the New York Mets in the 40th round but did not sign.
Diaz, 27, was named an All-Star in 2016, after making his debut on April 5 of that season. In his first professional season, he hit .300 and finished 5th in National League Rookie of the Year voting. Diaz began the season with St. Louis in 2017 and finished out the year with triple-A Memphis before a call-up to St. Louis to finish out the season in September.
The Cardinals also announced this evening that they have tendered contracts to the remaining players on their 40-man Major League roster who were not already signed for 2018. Following today’s trade, the Cardinals roster currently stands at 38 players.
