The Yankees and Mets have proven curiosity in free agent infielder Gio Urshela, per Bryan Hoch of MLB.com, although the Angels and Marlins “have made higher provides” so far. The New York golf equipment have been related to Urshela on the finish of final yr, whereas the Marlins have been related to him yesterday. That is the primary time that the Angels, for whom Urshela performed in 2023, have been reported to be focused on a reunion.
The Halos acquired Urshela from the Twins in November of 2022, with Urshela one yr away from free company, sending prospect Alejandro Hidalgo the opposite means. Urshela had hit .290/.336/.463 over the earlier 4 seasons between the Twins and Yankees, resulting in a wRC+ of 119. That bat was attractive, as was his protection. With Anthony Rendon’s mounting damage historical past, Urshela gave the membership some insurance coverage at third base, whereas the membership additionally hoped he might fill in at different positions as nicely.
Sadly, the acquisition didn’t work out too nicely for the Angels. Urshela bounced round to all 4 infield positions however bought into simply 62 video games on the yr earlier than struggling a pelvic fracture in June. He didn’t require surgical procedure nevertheless it ended his season nonetheless. Earlier than that damage, he hit simply two residence runs and his slash line was all the way down to .299/.329/.374, translating to a 92 wRC+.
Regardless of that disappointing marketing campaign, the reported curiosity means that the membership has some confidence in Urshela bouncing again to well being and bettering his efficiency. As soon as once more, there might not be a easy on a regular basis job obtainable to him, however placing him again right into a multi-positional function would make sense.
The Halos are set to have children Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel at shortstop and first base, respectively. Schanuel held his personal in his temporary main league debut however remains to be a danger with simply 51 skilled video games beneath his belt, having simply been drafted final summer season. Neto additionally debuted final yr and carried out nicely defensively, however with subpar offense. Third base stays an annual query, with Rendon having suffered via one other injury-marred season in 2023.
Brandon Drury and Luis Rengifo are readily available to cowl second base and one in all these different positions, however bolstering the group total by bringing Urshela again would enhance the general outlook. The Angels have usually been hobbled by accidents or underperformance exposing a scarcity of depth in recent times. Urshela’s presence would give them some cowl for an additional Rendon damage or any sophomore stoop from Neto or Schanuel, or one other unexpected improvement.
The Halos ought to have loads of spending room, their finances at Roster Useful resource. They’re at the moment slated for a finances of $173MM and a aggressive steadiness tax determine of $188MM. Final yr, their payroll completed at $215MM and their CBT just below the $233MM line. These figures have been set to be even larger earlier than they fell out of rivalry and began taking cost-cutting measures because the season was winding down.
Assuming they’re prepared to get again close to these ranges once more in 2024, there’s plenty of issues they might do. Initially of the offseason, MLBTR predicted Urshela for a two-year deal price $20MM. He might not be capable of get that prime because it has turned out to be a reasonably tepid marketplace for place gamers and he’s nonetheless lingering available on the market in February. However with Spring Coaching beginning shortly and golf equipment reportedly having provides out to the infielder, he could also be coming off the board quickly.