The signing of Jose Abreu by the Houston Astros doesn’t suggest a big opening for the team’s new general manager, Dana Brown, to bring Yuli Gurriel back to the roster.
A free agent, the 38-year-old veteran still doesn’t know his next destination for the 2023 season and even if Houston remains a possibility, it would be surprising to see the Astros sign him when his playing time would be limited.
An excellent hitter and very good defensively, Gurriel saw his statistics drop drastically during the last season, and this at a very bad time, he who became free as air following this disappointing season.
Gurriel is loved by everyone in Houston and has played a very important role in the locker room and on the field for the past few seasons, but the problem is that he doesn’t really belong on the roster anymore.
The 2021 American batting champion with an average of .319, Gurriel is not attracting the interest of many teams at the moment, because most clubs are looking for versatility at this time of year in order to to consolidate the defensive aspect and the Cuban does not really have this desired versatility.
In addition, the Astros can count on several players who will be able to take on the role of alternating hitter of choice in 2023. We are thinking here of Kyle Tucker, Yordan Alvarez and Michael Brantley.
It’s definitely time for Astros fans to mourn Yuli Gurriel
The Minnesota Twins have considered adding Gurriel to their roster, but it looks like they’ll give Alex Kirilloff every opportunity to develop and play his role well at first base. The one who has worn the Astros colors since 2016 would have been a good complement to Kirilloff, as the two don’t hit from the same side of home plate, but the Twins are already well off in right-handed hitters off the bench right now.
In short, the chances of seeing Yuli Gurriel again in the Majors in 2023 still exist and the opening of training camps may bring to light needs to be filled more quickly than expected, favoring the signing of a more one-dimensional player.
In Cincinnati, the fact that Joey Votto (39) is slowly recovering from shoulder surgery could force Reds management to sign Gurriel as an insurance policy.
