It appears the Tigers found room for another veteran bat. The club has signed third baseman Gio Urshela to a one-year, $1.5 million deal, according to ESPN.
Urshela, 32, has been on a downward offensive trend since his breakout year with the Yankees in 2019, but he still hits lefties well and plays a smooth third base. The Tigers stand to benefit from both. Their third basemen ranked last in the majors last season at minus-22 defensive runs saved, and their offense is light on experienced hitters.
Urshela missed most of last season with the Angels due to a fractured pelvis -- which didn't require surgery -- but he hit .285 with a .767 OPS and was worth four defensive runs saved at third base the season before that with the Twins. He's sixth in defensive runs saved among third baseman over the past two seasons. He's also spent time at shortstop and first.
The Tigers have a clear need at third, where they were prepared to roll with a platoon featuring Matt Vierling, Zach McKinstry and Andy Ibanez, none of them proven commodities -- especially at that position. Asked earlier this month if the Tigers considered acquiring another veteran bat this offseason after adding outfielder Mark Canha, president of baseball ops Scott Harris said they only had room on the roster for one.
"We have either a young hitter in the big leagues or pretty close to the big leagues at almost every position right now. And we gotta commit to those guys," he said. "If you look around the diamond, there aren’t a ton of at-bats available for another everyday type bat. We felt like there was room for one in Mark Canha and then the rest of the additions would be supplementary to the everyday lineup."
Urshela might not be an everyday player like Canha, but he should give the Tigers a boost. He hit .292 with an .815 OPS over his three seasons with the Yankees, where he also played in 22 playoff games. His experience will be a boon to what's shaping up as one of the youngest position playing groups in the majors. And he's a contact-oriented hitter with a career .290 average and .773 OPS against lefties.
The Tigers have room on the roster for that.