Braves Free Agent Third Baseman Signs with Athletics

Atlanta Braves free agent third baseman Gio Urshela has signed a deal with The Athletics. According to Ken Rosenthal, this agreement is pending a physical. 

Martín Gallegos of MLB.com reports confirmed that it will be a one-year contract and that it’ll be a big-league deal.

The A’s would be Urshela’s sixth team in the past five seasons. 

Urshela started off last season with the Detroit Tigers, inking a one-year deal worth $1.5 million in February 2024. In 92 games with the Tigers, he slashed .243/.286/.333 with five home runs and 37 RBIs. 

The Tigers released Urshela on Aug. 18. The Braves picked him up on Aug. 20 after third baseman Austin Riley went down with a right hand fracture that he suffered on a hit by pitch. 

Urshela was one of a few plug-and-play options for the Braves as they tried to survive an injury-ridden season. Like some of the other players signed midseason, Urshela saw improvement after the move to Atlanta. 

Across 36 games, Urshela slashed .265/.287/.424 with four home runs and 15 RBIs. This improvement at the plate was due to a surge in his final 12 games of the season. 

During that span, he slashed .348/.362/.630 with three home runs and eight RBIs. He also had four doubles in that stretch as well. 

Between his time with the Tigers and Braves, he had 461 plate appearances and slashed .250/.286/.361 with nine home runs and 52 RBIs. 

Urshela will be competing for the starting job at third base as the A’s set up shop for (at least) the next three seasons in Sacramento before heading to Las Vegas.