After announcing the call-up of baseball's no. 2 prospect Gunnar Henderson , the Baltimore Orioles did more to improve their roster Wednesday morning.
The O's agreed to a deal with veteran first baseman Jesus Aguilar, who was designated for assignment by the Miami Marlins last Friday.
After passing through waivers and becoming a free agent able to sign with any team, Aguilar agreed to a minor league contract with the Orioles. He will join the club's taxi squad in Cleveland today for the Orioles' series with the Guardians, the Orioles announced.
In three seasons with the Marlins (2020-2022), Aguilar led the club in home runs (45), hits (267), RBI (176) and games played (295). He slashed .254/.317/.747 over the course of three years with the Marlins.
Aguiilar, 32, has struggled at the plate in 2022, slashing .236/.286/.674 with 15 home runs, 49 RBI, 23.2% strikeout percentage and -0.2 Wins Above Replacement.
As a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, Aguilar enjoyed his best big league season in 2018, earning himself a trip to the All-Star Game and finishing the season with a slash line of .274/.352/.890 and 35 home runs and 108 RBI.
Aguilar joins a Baltimore Orioles team battling for a playoff spot, with the lowest payroll in Major League Baseball. After losing their last two games, the O's find themselves 67-61, three games back of the Toronto Blue Jays for the American League's third and final wild card spot.
If Aguilar is able to tap into what he has been in seasons past, he could give the Orioles' a nice jolt offensively down the stretch, with five weeks remaining in the regular season.
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