Tigers to sign Gio Urshela

12:40 PM: Urshela can earn an additional $500,000 based on the appearance of the painting, Tweet Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press.

The Tigers have agreed to a one-year deal with a free agent player Geo Urshela, Reports ESPN's Jeff Passan. The Rep 1 customer will be guaranteed an amount of US$1.5 million under the contract, which is pending actual implementation. John Heyman of the New York Post Add The deal contains incentives that could boost Urshela's earnings further.

It's the second instance this week of a veteran player agreeing to a $1.5 million free agent deal that's well shy of what most pundits expected entering the offseason. Urshela's deal matches her $1.5 million deal Amed Rosario He signed with the Rays on Tuesday. Scott Harris, Detroit's president of baseball operations, recently indicated his club was unlikely to sign any “everyday-type” players to big league deals, citing a desire to commit to a wave of young talent surging toward the major leagues. However, at this price point, Urshela would likely be a very tempting prospect for a team without a clear answer at third base.

Prior to this agreement, the Tigers appeared to be preparing to start the season with a platoon of Zach McKinstry Or Andy Ibanez or Matt Ferling In the hot corner. This pair should keep things private until 2022 in the first round Jess Jung He made his way to the major leagues.

Perhaps it's no coincidence that the Tigers informed Young today that he will not make the Opening Day roster (X link Via Evan Woodbury of MLive.com). They also said a potential mate Justin Henry Malloy He will move from third base and focus exclusively on outfield work. The addition of Urshela gives the Tigers a viable everyday option at third base while Jung finishes his development — or at least provides a powerful right-handed bat to complement the left-handed swinging McKinstry.

In addition to fitting in at third base, Urshela provides insurance in other ways. He has pitched some shortstop in the major leagues, including 71 innings with the Angels in 2023, and could step in Javier Baez Occasionally. It also gives Detroit a veteran player they can rely on in the event of a top prospect Colt Keith, who signed a six-year extension before his MLB debut and is expected to open the year as the Tigers' second baseman, is struggling early. Urshela could handle second base himself or take on a more prominent role at the hot corner, with McKinstry sliding to second base if Keith ultimately decides he needs more time in the minors.

Based on track record alone, Urshela was a candidate for a multi-year deal — and likely would have been a candidate for a single contract had he been healthy last season. Dating back to his breakout 2019 with the Yankees, he carries a .291/.335/.452 batting line in 1,871 trips to the plate. He's only hit an 18.9% overall clip in that time, but has improved his hitting skills over the past two seasons between Anaheim and Minnesota; Since Opening Day of 2022, he has been popular in just 16.9% of his plate appearances.

Although his career has been solid since becoming a big-league regular, Urshela is a potential bounce-back candidate. His power production with the Angels was oddly low to start the 2023 season, with just two home runs and a paltry 0.075 ISO (slugging minus batting average) through mid-June. He never had a chance to right the ship after suffering a broken pelvis on June 15 of last season. Urshela did not need surgery but was on crutches following the injury and ended up missing the remainder of the season while she healed.

Urshela has had fairly even platoon splits throughout his career, though he skews slightly more productive against left-handed pitching (.290/.328/.445 against southpaws; .272/.320/.414 against right-handers). That certainly had added appeal for a Tigers club that posted a tepid .241/.312/.398 line against lefties in 2023, with the resulting 95 wRC+ ranking 22nd among MLB teams.

From a salary standpoint, the Urshela deal hardly pans out. He effectively replaces a lower-end player on the roster, so he only adds about $750,000 in additional guarantees to the Tigers' projected payroll. List resources Detroit pegs a $108.4 million projection for the 2024 season, which is more than $90 million shy of the team's record franchise mark dating back to 2017 (under late owner Mike Ilitch, whose son Chris now runs the team). As such, there should be more resources available if similar deal options arise for this Urshela addition. However, there is no indication that the Tigers have considered generating a higher level of interest in free agency or on the trade market in the late stages of the offseason.