The stellar Yulieski Gurriel and the franchise Miami Marlins They reached an agreement for the next baseball season, Major League sources confirmed this Thursday.
The terms of the agreement were not immediately revealed and it is likely that the contract is still pending a medical examination of the veteran Cuban baseball player, as revealed by the well-known journalist Ken Rosenthal.
It is undoubtedly one of the Marlins' big moves for the upcoming season, which starts in just a few weeks.
According to sources close to the Gurriel family, the player would be traveling this Friday to Jupiter, Florida, to undergo the required physical examination and could immediately join the Grapefruit League, where the Marlins have had a fatal performance until now. moment.
Gurriel, 38, spent the first seven seasons of his Major League career with the Houston Astros, a team with which won two World Series titles, and Gold Glove and a batting title. The player, a native of Sancti Spíritus and starter for the Cuban national team, defected along with his younger brother Lourdes Jr in the Dominican Republic in 2016.
After ending his contract with the Astros, the world champion franchise itself, the Minnesota Twins and the Marlins showed interest in obtaining Gurriel's services for the 2023 season. Journalist Rosenthal was following behind the scenes the organizations' negotiations to acquire the player .
But Gurriel ended up leaning toward Miami, where his entire family resides, his father, baseball glory Lourdes Gurriel, and his two brothers: the former player and coach Yunieski Gurriel, and Lourdes Jr, Traded this year from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The amount of the contract is not known, but sources close to the Marlins said the day before that the franchise offered him some $2.2 million dollars for one season, with the option to extend it for a second year.
The addition of Gurriel to the Miami franchise is an important acquisition of offensive power and experience for the local team, and becomes an attraction for the Cuban and Hispanic fans who attend the Little Havana stadium.
Last season was a vigorous one for Gurriel, who hit .242/.288/.360 (84 OPS+) with 40 doubles, eight home runs and 53 RBI, but he was especially outstanding in the playoff games. His postseason average was .347, hitting in nine of the 12 games, with five multihits, and two home runs.
His contribution was decisive in winning the pennant of the Astros in the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies in six hard-fought games.
Gurriel was a pillar of the Astros, although he has had ups and downs in his offensive career. His best moments were the 2019 seasons, when he hit 31 home runs and drove in 104 runs, and the 2021 season, which allowed him to take the American League batting title, with an average of .319.
The Marlins hope that Gurriel will provide enough offensive flow to a team that experienced a lethargy in its battery during the previous season, in which it was the worst team in the National League in runs scored and long-range production (slugging).
Gurriel could also alternate at first base and as a designated hitter, combining his presence in the lineup with Garrett Cooper and Jorge Soler in the roles of first baseman and DH, respectively.
Another Cuban to the Marlins
At the last minute it was unofficially known that another veteran Major League player, the shortstop José "Candelita" Iglesias, would have also signed a contract with the Marlins, which would significantly reinforce the presence of Cuban players in the Miami team's roster.
Iglesias, 33 years old, came to the Major Leagues at a very young age, recognized as an excellent infield defender and timely hitter. Has fulfilled 11 seasons, mostly distributed between the Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers.
According to a report by journalists Katie Wo and Ken Rosenthal, Iglesias signed a Minor League contract and will be invited by the Marlins to spring training.
Last season, Iglesias played for the Colorado Rockies under a $6 million contract and his offensive numbers were 292/.328/.380.
If the Marlins management decides to bring him up to the big team, Iglesias could be very useful as a substitute defensive player.
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