The Astros are re-signing Ben Gamel to a one-year main league contract. The Wasserman consumer has reportedly already handed his bodily. He’s assured a $200K signing bonus and would safe a $1M base wage if he breaks camp. Whereas the group has but to finalize the signing, normal supervisor Dana Brown publicly confirmed the settlement this night (relayed on social media by Mark V). The Astros have a 40-man roster opening due to the Ryan Pressly commerce, so no corresponding transfer is important.
Dana Brown has spoken all offseason concerning the group’s want for a lefty-hitting outfielder. Gamel matches the invoice and has some familiarity with the Houston clubhouse. The Astros snagged him off waivers from the Mets final August. Gamel offered a little bit of a lift offensively, hitting .259/.377/.362 in 20 video games. His season resulted in mid-September when he broke his left fibula, sustained when he crashed into the outfield wall whereas monitoring down a Mickey Moniak fly ball. Chandler Rome of The Athletic reviews that the veteran outfielder is predicted to be a full participant in spring coaching.
Gamel, 32, has appeared within the majors in 9 straight seasons. He performed considerably recurrently with the Mariners, Brewers and Pirates between 2017-22. He has spent the final two years as a depth choice. He made six appearances for the 2023 Padres and mixed for 38 video games between the Mets and Astros final yr.
In a bit over 2300 profession plate appearances, Gamel owns a .252/.334/.382 slash line which is roughly the league common. He has middling energy with a really patient-plate strategy. Gamel’s willingness to work deep counts has translated to a powerful 10.5% stroll share, although he has additionally fanned in round 1 / 4 of his journeys to the dish. He has been a wonderful Triple-A performer all through his profession, hitting .303/.381/.468 throughout 420 video games on the prime minor league stage.
Whereas Gamel addresses Houston’s want for a lefty-swinging outfielder, he doesn’t have large platoon splits. He’s a profession .252/.337/.387 hitter in opposition to righties and carries a .252/.324/.364 slash versus left-handed pitching. Gamel is a fringy runner who is restricted to the nook outfield, the place defensive metrics have graded him as a below-average defender.
Gamel ought to have an actual alternative to play his manner into an honest quantity of taking part in time in Houston. The Astros have a skinny outfield following the Kyle Tucker commerce. Defensive stalwart Jake Meyers is ticketed for an everyday run in middle area. Chas McCormick will get the majority of the taking part in time in proper area. He’s seeking to rebound from a career-worst .211/.271/.306 exhibiting. Gamel might find yourself because the Opening Day left fielder. Supervisor Joe Espada stated that he’d choose to restrict Yordan Alvarez’s outfield work to maintain him wholesome. Taylor Trammell, a profession .167/.270/.363 hitter who took eight MLB plate appearances final yr, projected as Houston’s left fielder earlier than this signing.
Utilityman Mauricio Dubón might be within the combine at varied infield and outfield positions. The Astros have kicked across the concept of giving Jose Altuve some left-field work. If Houston re-signed Alex Bregman, that’d push Isaac Paredes to second base and transfer Altuve into left area on daily basis. Whereas that door stays cracked so long as Bregman stays unsigned, the Astros don’t appear to be assured of their probabilities of re-signing him. Their pursuit of Jorge Polanco as an infield fallback got here up quick. Houston might theoretically make Dubón a full-time second baseman and decide to pushing Altuve to the outfield, however that’d restrict their versatility off the bench.
Offloading $8.5M of Pressly’s $14M wage dropped the Astros beneath the posh tax line. RosterResource calculates their CBT round $237M, making the belief that Gamel will stick on the roster into the common season and depend for a $1.2M tax hit. That places the Astros round $4M shy of this yr’s base threshold. Proprietor Jim Crane has proven a willingness to exceed the edge if it meant getting Bregman again at a positive value — they’ve reportedly had a six-year, $156M provide on the desk for a lot of the winter — nevertheless it doesn’t appear the Astros wish to transcend the road for marginal upgrades.
Chandler Rome of The Athletic first reported that the Astros have been re-signing Gamel. ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that it was an MLB deal that included a $200K signing bonus and a non-guaranteed $1M wage. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported the situation that the wage turned assured if Gamel have been on the Opening Day roster.
