Cuban slugger Yulieski Gurriel (39), who ranked first in batting average in the American League (AL) two years ago, is in danger of becoming a free agent.
Gurriel obtained FA qualification after finishing last year’s season, but has not found a new team until mid-February, when spring training is imminent over the year. Several teams have shown interest in Guriel, but they have not led to his contract, and his original team, the Houston Astros, are also lukewarm.
Houston general manager Dana Brown said in an interview with local media ‘Fox 26’ on the 11th (Korean time), “Gurriel was an outstanding player in the clubhouse. Both players and coaches love Guriel,” he admitted, but he saw it as difficult in terms of realistic team composition.
This is because in November of last year, he filled the position of Gurriel by signing free agent Jose Abreu, a giant first baseman, for 3 years and 58.5 million dollars. As for the designated hitter, there is no place to use Gurriel as the starting pitcher because there is MVP-class slugger Yodan Alvarez. 메이저사이트
General Manager Brown said, “It became difficult to catch Gurriel after signing with Abreu. Redundant power can cause weakness in other parts of the team,” he said. “I want to bring Gurriel back, but I have to give him a chance to bat and see if he can coexist with Abreu.”
Cuban right-handed first baseman Abreu, like Gurriel, made his major league debut in 2014 and played for the Chicago White Sox for nine years. He played in 1270 games with a batting average of 2.9 2s, 1445 hits, 243 home runs, and 863 RBIs with an OPS of .860. Starting with AL Rookie of the Year in his first year, he won MVP in 2020, and boasts three career All-Star and Silver Slugger honors. Although his slugging power fell with 15 home runs last year, he still shows batting productivity with an OPS of .824 and batting average in the 30% range (.304).