The Braves have signed first baseman Yuli Gurriel to a minor league deal, in line with reporter Francys Romero (hyperlinks through X). After not too long ago altering businesses, Gurriel is now represented by Gene Mato.
Atlanta noticed loads of Gurriel when he performed with the Marlins final season, and the veteran hit .323/.382/.581 over 34 plate appearances towards Braves pitching. Sadly for Gurriel, he didn’t come near this manufacturing on the entire, as he batted .245/.304/.359 with 4 homers over 329 PA. It marks the second straight season of subpar offense for the 39-year-old, and his third in 4 years when contemplating his lackluster .658 OPS in 230 PA in the course of the pandemic-shortened 2020 marketing campaign.
Even with these latest outcomes, Gurriel has nonetheless been an above-average (108 wRC+) hitter over his eight Main League seasons. The primary seven of these years have been spent in Houston, the place Gurriel was a part of the Astros core that received World Sequence titles in 2017 and 2022. Gurriel was additionally an enormous a part of the AL championship squad that misplaced to the Braves within the 2021 World Sequence, as he posted 15 homers and .319/.383/.462 slash line whereas additionally successful the AL batting title and a Gold Glove.
2021 now appears slightly far within the rearview mirror given Gurriel’s struggles within the final two seasons, and it stays to be seen what he has left within the tank as he approaches his fortieth birthday in June. Gurriel had already performed 15 seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional (plus a quick stint in Japan with the Yokohama BayStars in 2014) earlier than he even got here to the large leagues on a five-year, $47.5MM contract with the Astros halfway by way of the 2016 season.
There isn’t any danger for the Braves in giving Gurriel a minor league deal to see what he can nonetheless provide, although even when he does hit properly at Triple-A, taking part in time figures to be scarce in Atlanta since Matt Olson and Marcell Ozuna have the primary base and DH positions on lockdown. Gurriel performed some second and third base earlier in his profession, however once more, Ozzie Albies and Austin Riley have these positions coated. With all these established starters and the Braves’ penchant for protecting these regulars on the sector, Gurriel is perhaps okay with being a little-used bench bat if it means being a part of one other contending workforce. Or, Gurriel’s time at Triple-A Gwinnett may primarily be an audition for one more workforce, whether or not through a possible commerce or perhaps if Gurriel has an opt-out clause in his deal.