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The Rays expanded their roster on Tuesday afternoon, signing Amed Rosario to a one-year contract. The Octagon client is reportedly guaranteed $1.5 million and can unlock an additional $500,000 in incentives. Tampa Bay placed Drew Rasmussenrecovering from flexor surgery, on the 60-day disabled list in a corresponding move.
Rosario, 28, has been an everyday shortstop in the major leagues for many years, but is coming off a challenging season. He started the year with the Guardians, but was hitting just .265/.306/.369 as the deadline approached, and that production translated into a wRC+ of 87. His defense at shortstop had always been questionable, but it became downright problematic. in 2023. He was tagged with ratings of -16 defensive runs saved and -15 outings above average with Cleveland.
The Guards gave him to the Dodgers for Noah Syndergaard, and the new Rosario club moved him to the other side of the bag most of the time. He seemed to adapt well to the position change, at least in a small sample of 190 innings, producing 3 DRS and OAA on an even zero. His bat was pretty much the same, as he hit .256/.301/.408 as a Dodger for a wRC+ of 93.
He was noticeably better in the previous two seasons. He hit 11 home runs in both 2021 and 2022, a modest number but much better than the six he hit in 2023. He hit .282/.316/.406 in those two years with Cleveland for a wRC+ of 103, without walking much, but also avoiding strikeouts, 4.5% walk rate and 18.4% strikeout rate.
Defensively, he earned a positive DRS rating in 2022, but has otherwise always been poor. OAA has had him in negative territory every full season of his career. He probably won’t be an everyday option for the Rays at shortstop, but he could spend some time there from time to time.
The Rays love flexibility and have a big hole at shortstop thanks to the absence of walk freely, who has an uncertain future since he is under investigation for having a relationship with a minor. Besides that, taylor walls He is recovering from hip surgery and will miss at least part of the season. President of baseball operations Erik Neander recently suggested that jose knight It could be the start to start the year.
The club also has perspective Junior Caminero, who is generally considered one of the top 10 prospects in the sport and has already made his major league debut. But his bat is considered superior to his defense, and some evaluators expect him to end up at third base instead of short. Osleivis Basabe He’s in the mix, but he didn’t hit much in his first taste of the majors or Triple-A. they added Yu Chang on a minor league deal today to provide some non-roster depth.
Caballero, acquired from the Mariners in the Lucas Raley Granted, he has just 280 MLB plate appearances and slashed just .221/.343/.320 in them. He has some speed, as he stole 26 bags in 29 attempts last year, and the defense seems to be good, 4 DRS and 2 OAA so far. But overall, the Rays don’t have many solid answers for him at shortstop, and Rosario could perhaps play a role in that.
But if his days at that position are gone, there are still ways for him to be useful to the Rays. The right-handed hitter has wide platoon splits in his career, having hit .298/.339/.467 against lefties for a wRC+ of 121, but just .262/.296/.374 the rest of the time for a wRC+ of 84.
The Rays have a left-handed hitting second baseman in Brandon Lowe and he also does better with the peloton advantage. He has hit .220/.284/.437 against lefties, 99 wRC+, but produced a huge .253/.349/.499 line and 135 wRC+ against righties. He has also had notable injury setbacks in his career, with 2021 being his only major league season where he played in more than 109 games. A platoon of Lowe and Rosario at the cornerstone could perhaps be best for both players.
Players like it jose lowe and jonathan aranda There are also lefties with notable problems when lefties are on the mound. That could perhaps lead to Rosario getting some time as a designated hitter or even playing a corner outfield role at times. He has only 171 1/3 innings of outfield experience at the major league level, but the Rays could perhaps try to rotate him if they think it will help his versatility.
Despite his poor season and generally poor defensive record, Rosario still generated a lot of interest this winter. The free agent market for middle infielders was weak, but many teams needed help there. The Angels, Marlins, Red Sox and Blue Jays were all connected to him at various points this offseason. The Blue Jays turned to Justin Turner and Isiah Kiner-Falefa as their additions to the infield while the Red Sox filled their second base position by trading for Vaughn Grissom. The Marlins are still looking to upgrade at shortstop but reportedly made an offer for Tim Anderson. It is known that the Angels are interested in bringing back Gio Urshela as an improvement to the multipositional infield.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported that the Rays and Rosario had agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported the $500 thousand in incentives.