The Astros have re-signed Ben Gamel to a one-year main league contract. The Wasserman consumer is reportedly assured a $200K signing bonus and would safe a $1MM base wage if he breaks camp. The Astros have a 40-man roster opening due to the Ryan Pressly commerce, so no corresponding transfer was essential.
GM Dana Brown has spoken all offseason in regards to the crew’s need for a lefty-hitting outfielder. Gamel suits the invoice and has some familiarity within the Houston clubhouse. The Astros snagged him off waivers from the Mets final August. Gamel supplied a little bit of a lift offensively, hitting .259/.377/.362 in 20 video games. His season led to 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 stories 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 frequently 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 just a little over 2300 profession plate appearances, Gamel owns a .252/.334/.382 slash line that’s roughly league common. He has middling energy with a really affected person plate strategy. Gamel’s willingness to work deep counts has translated to a robust 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 high minor league degree.
Whereas Gamel addresses Houston’s need for a lefty-swinging outfielder, he doesn’t have big platoon splits. He’s a profession .252/.337/.387 hitter towards 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 a good quantity of enjoying time in Houston. The Astros have a skinny outfield following the Kyle Tucker commerce. Defensive stalwart Jake Meyers is ticketed for normal run in heart discipline. Chas McCormick will get the majority of the enjoying time in proper discipline. He’s seeking to rebound from a career-worst .211/.271/.306 exhibiting. Gamel could find yourself because the Opening Day left fielder. Supervisor Joe Espada mentioned that he’d want 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 numerous infield and outfield positions. The Astros have kicked across the concept of giving Jose Altuve some left discipline work. If Houston re-signed Alex Bregman, that’d push Isaac Paredes to second base and transfer Altuve into left discipline every single day. Whereas that door stays cracked so long as Bregman stays unsigned, the Astros don’t appear to be assured of their possibilities 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 $8.5MM of Pressly’s $14MM wage dropped the Astros beneath the luxurious tax line. RosterResource calculates their CBT round $237MM, making the belief that Gamel will stick on the roster into the common season and depend for a $1.2MM tax hit. That places the Astros round $4MM 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 good worth — they’ve reportedly had a six-year, $156MM supply on the desk for many of the winter — nevertheless it doesn’t appear the Astros need 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 $1MM wage. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported the situation that the wage turned assured if Gamel have been on the Opening Day roster.
Picture courtesy of Imagn.
