Breaking: Padres Sign Yuli Gurriel! Is it a Home Run or a Strikeout?
The San Diego Padres needed a veteran bat after Jurickson Profar left town via free agency. The team agreed to a minor-league deal with first baseman Yuli Gurriel. However, determining if this is the right move for the Padres will not be that simple.
Gurriel was an elite first baseman
An argument for Gurriel starts with his championship pedigree. He won two World Series titles (2017 and 2022) in four appearances with the Houston Astros. Gurriel batted .261 with 8 HRs and 39 RBIs in 92 playoff games.
Gurriel offers a steady defensive presence at first base, as he was an American League Glove Glove winner in 2021. Gurriel had the top fielding percentage for first basemen in consecutive seasons (.996 in 2019 and .998 in 2020). Gurriel’s range may be declining, but his glove around the bag is still elite.
How much is left in the bat?
In his time with the Astros, he won an AL batting title with a .310 batting average in 2021. But age (Gurriel turns 41 in June) has slowed his stroke in recent years. Gurriel has batted in the low .240s over the last three seasons.
The 2024 campaign saw him split time with the Atlanta Braves Triple-A affiliate (Gwinnett) and the Kansas City Royals. He batted .241 with 6 RBIs in 18 games with the Royals. Gurriel helped them earn a postseason berth coming off the bench.
The Padres lineup is already too right-handed dominant, and adding Gurriel does not solve this problem. At the start of spring training, Mike Shildt announced that Luis Arraez was the primary first baseman. The addition of Gurriel offers another bench player with postseason experience.
Can Darvish and Gurriel exist in the same locker room?
The one aspect of the transaction that cannot be answered is Yu Darvish’s reaction to the move. You may recall Fox Sports’ cameras caught Gurriel making a racist gesture in the Astros dugout after homering off Darvish in Game 3 of the 2017 World Series.
Commissioner Rob Manfred wasted little time in handing down punishment for his actions. Gurriel was suspended for the first five games of the 2018 season. Manfred felt no excuse or explanation made his behavior acceptable in a major league dugout.
Gurriel countered that his intentions were never to offend Darvish. He contested the dugout conversation centered on him believing Darvish thought he was Japanese and gave him a good pitch to hit.
Before Game 5, Darvish issued a statement forgiving him and hoping everyone could learn from the incident. Later in the offseason, Gurriel did offer an apology to Darvish via his Twitter account.
Time will tell if this incident becomes a distraction inside the Padres locker room. Darvish is a team leader and will let his true feelings be known about the deal.
According to various media reports, Gurriel will earn $ 1.25 million if he makes the Opening Day roster and another $1 million by achieving several incentives throughout the season.
Thus, not much of an investment if Gurriel is deemed a problem.
