Did Rays find another bargain in Rosario?
PORT CHARLOTTE — His salary took a hit, and his playing time will likely follow. After a lifetime of groundballs at shortstop, he will almost certainly get more work at second base and in the outfield. All in all, his days as one of baseball’s top prospects seem long ago at this point.
So how should we view Tampa Bay’s signing of Amed Rosario?
Potentially, as one of the best bargains of the offseason.
Based on his WAR the past three seasons, Rosario was one of the more attractive free-agent position players available this winter and yet the Rays just signed him to a one-year deal for $1.5 million, plus incentives.
That doesn’t necessarily mean other general managers completely whiffed on Rosario. He’s never been a great defensive shortstop, and his production noticeably declined while he split last season between Cleveland and Los Angeles.
It’s clear no team wanted to make the two-year, $18 million investment that analytics website Fangraphs.com suggested Rosario would command when they listed him as the No. 20 free-agent position player available in November. That lack of interest would seem to suggest that teams no longer view Rosario as a full-time shortstop.
And that’s where the Rays come in.
Instead of worrying about Rosario’s limitations as a fulltime player, the Rays are looking at his upside as a role player.
“He’s going to play a lot, basically against all lefties, and then we will find opportunities to mix and match him around the middle infield,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “And we’re going to take the time in spring to see the comfort [level] in the outfield, likely in the corner
outfield. He’s a really athletic guy that we think can take to it pretty quick.”
Because the Rays put so much value on defense, it would appear that slick-fielding Jose Caballero will get the bulk of playing time at shortstop. That means the most obvious fit for Rosario would be in a platoon at second base.
Brandon Lowe was an MVP candidate in 2020-21, but still has some extreme splits against left-handers. Lowe had an .814 OPS against righties last season and a .512 versus lefties. Rosario, on the other hand, had a .768 OPS versus lefties and a .636 against right-handers. Rosario played second base for the first time in the majors last season with the Dodgers, and his defensive metrics were far better than his work at shortstop.
“I feel more comfortable now,” Rosario said via team interpreter Manny Navarro on Wednesday morning. “I won’t say it was an easy transition, but I feel a lot more comfortable than I did before.”
Acknowledging his previous struggles at shortstop, the Guardians used him for 18 games in centerfield in 2021. The Rays seem more inclined to try Rosario as an occasional replacement for Randy Arozarena in left or Josh Lowe in right. That could become even more critical if outfielder/DH Harold Ramirez is eventually traded.
The idea of being a role player is definitely new territory for Rosario. At one time he was the No. 1 prospect in the Mets’ farm system, and he was a key piece in the trade that brought Francisco Lindor to New York. By the time he left Cleveland, he was earning $7.8 million a season. Excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, he’s averaged more than 600 plate appearances every year since 2018.
Historically a slow starter and streaky hitter, Rosario will have to adjust to not being in the lineup every day. He suggested sporadic playing time in Los Angeles was part of the problem with his numbers in 2023.
“Toward the back end of the year, I didn’t have as many chances as before. That didn’t help me with getting into a rhythm,” Rosario said. “I know in the past, the second-half numbers have always been [stronger] in my career. I think it’s just I didn’t get as many opportunities as I thought I would.”
Cash and baseball operations president Erik Neander took advantage of a trip back to town for Fan Fest last Saturday to have lunch with Rosario, who has made Tampa his home since 2020. Aside from the onfield production, the Rays were swayed by glowing recommendations of Rosario as a teammate in Cleveland, including from former manager Terry Francona.
“He loved him,” Cash said. “Everybody, every person we reached out to, really, really talked about the human first and just the type of teammate he was, the type of mindset he comes into the clubhouse with every day. You could see that from our lunch, just a positive guy and a quality person.”