A’s add former All-Star Aguilar as potential power bat
The A’s added another lowrisk, potential high-reward power option to the mix for spring training by reportedly reaching a $3 million, oneyear deal with former All-Star first baseman Jesús Aguilar.
Aguilar, 33, was a National League All-Star in 2018 with the Milwaukee Brewers, when he hit a career-high 35 home runs with 108 RBI and slashed .274/.352/.539, and could go a long way in helping the A’s create more pop after a 102-loss 2022 season that was historically one of the worst offenses in franchise history.
News of the agreement, which isn’t final until Aguilar passes his physical, was first reported by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The A’s first workout of spring training is Feb. 15 in Mesa, Arizona.
Agular, on the surface, figures to slide right into the heart of the A’s lineup. He has by far the most experience of a crowded group of first base/ designated hitter candidates that includes returners Seth Brown, Jordan Diaz, Dermis Garcia and Jonah Bride as well as fellow newcomers Ryan Noda (A Rule 5 pick), former Twins prospect Brent Rooker (claimed off waivers) and former Diamondbacks prospect Kevin Cron (signed to a minor-league deal).
Aguilar, a nine-year veteran, has averaged 17 home runs his past three full seasons (he hit eight during the COVID-19-shortened 2020) for the Brewers, Rays, Marlins and Orioles. He ended last season with the Orioles, where he hit .224 with one home run in 51 plate appearances after being released by the Marlins in August. He batted just .236 with a .286 on-base percentage with Miami, but did slug 15 home runs in 456 plate appearances.
The A’s made a similar move last winter in their search for inexpensive power hitters when they signed veteran first baseman Eric Thames to a minor league deal, although the Santa Clara native never played with the A’s and was released after playing 22 games at Triple-A Las Vegas.
This is the sixth organization for Aguilar, who made his big league debut with Cleveland in 2014. He was claimed off waivers by the Brewers after the 2016 season and blossomed into one of the most dangerous righthanded hitters in the National League. Aguilar hit 51 home runs in 2017-18, slashing .271/.344/.527.
He hasn’t reached that kind of consistency since, but remains a power threat. The A’s could certainly use more thump on a team that hit just 137 home runs (only Washington, Cleveland and Detroit hit fewer.)
It was only five seasons ago
that Aguilar earned a spot on the All-Star team and in the Home Run Derby when he hit 24 home runs by the All-Star break.
Brown led the A’s with 25 home runs last season, and only three other players reached double digits. Two of those players, catcher Sean Murphy and Chad Pinder, are no longer with the team. Ramon Laureano returns after hitting 13 home runs in 383 plate appearances last season.
Another newcomer and potential power source is former Houston Astros utilityman Aledmys Díaz, who hit 12 home runs last season and hit a career-high 18 in 2018 with the Blue Jays. Diaz started games at six different positions for the Astros, including five at first base, but could get a lot of at-bats at DH. The A’s also added veteran utilityman Jace Peterson, who hit a career-high eight home runs last season with the Brewers.
Brown is a left-handed hitter, and could platoon with the right-handed hitting Aguilar. Noda also bats left-handed, and would have to be offered back to the Dodgers if he doesn’t stay on the A’s major league roster, so he figures to get a long look — it certainly helps that he hit 25 home runs with an .870 OPS in Triple-A last season. The 26-yearold also figures in the crowded outfield mix.