Throughout his tenure as Braves general manager, Alex Anthopoulos has shown a knack for making small signings that end up contributing significantly in some way or another, and he may have done it again. Per Francys Romero, the Braves are signing two time World Series champion Yuli Gurriel to a minor-league deal.
Gurriel won two World Series with the Houston Astros, where he was a critical piece of their world class offense. He joined the organization in 2016 as a 32-year-old after defecting from Cuba, with his best season coming in 2019 when he hit .298 with 31 homers, 104 RBIs, and an .884 OPS.
Gurriel’s success began to fade with age in 2022, his last season with the Astros. In 146 games, he recorded just eight homers with a .647 OPS. Most recently, he spent last season with the Marlins and produced similar results, recording a .663 OPS over 108 games.
Now 39-years-old, the Braves will hopefully never have to rely on Gurriel to play for a long period of time, but he’s a veteran with loads of playoff experience that can play some first base. As we’ve seen early this season, injuries can pop up at a moment’s notice and completely alter the course of the season. The Braves are already without Spencer Strider for the year, and Sean Murphy is ways away from returning from an oblique injury. You can never have enough depth, and Gurriel can be relied on in a pinch if needed.
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