adminReporter Yoonjun Ko = Yuli Gurriel, who had the best year by becoming the batting king in the 2021 season, fell into a big slump last season. As a result, not many teams are looking for him as a free agent.
‘MLB Trade Rumors (MLBTR)’ analyzed interesting hitters remaining in the free agent market on the 8th (Korean time), and paid attention to Gurriel.
Gurriel first appeared in the big leagues in 2016, and has consistently held Houston’s first base. In particular, he hit 31 homers in the 2019 season, and in the 2021 season, he recorded a batting average of 0.319 and became the batting king. He also won a Gold Glove as a first baseman who also had defensive skills.
Thanks to these performances, Houston won the World Series twice, and Gurriel won two championship rings. 슬롯사이트
But the problem is the sluggishness of last season. He posted his worst performance with a batting average of 0.242, 8 home runs, and 53 RBIs with an OPS of 0.647, and he gradually drifted away from the club’s plan. Ultimately, the team made the choice to acquire Trey Mancini in a trade, and acquired Jose Abreu in the offseason.
However, it is said that Houston is still thinking of going with Gurriel. He’s not a starting pitcher, but the plan is to use him as a backup first baseman, pinch hitter, and designated hitter. In particular, he was not bad with a batting average of 0.265 against left pitchers.
Houston as well as the Minnesota Twins are linked with him. Minnesota recently traded Luis Araez, leaving a gap at first base. Prospect Jose Miranda is on the team, but is expected to be used as a third baseman or designated hitter.
‘MLBTR’ said, “It seems difficult for Gurriel to sign a very good contract, but he is a hitter with very few strikeouts and can help the team enough against left-handed pitchers. It is good to strengthen the depth,” he explained.