The dream is dead: Robbie Grossman signs with the Texas Rangers
1 year ago
The dream is dead.
According to Jon Heyman, the Texas Rangers have signed the 33-year-old right-handed batting outfield.
Grossman would have been perfect for the Blue Jays. Not only does he mash left-handed pitching, but he’s also a switch hitter with significant power from the left side of the plate. I went into more detail in this article here.
So that begs the question, who fills that “left-handed pitching masher” void that the Blue Jays currently have?
Externally, there aren’t many options remaining. In fact, Jurickson Profar may be their only available option, as the switch-hitting second baseman/outfielder slashed .243/.331/.391 with 15 homers in 658 plate appearances in 2022. With the Padres, he finished with a 110 wRC+, the second highest of his career, and the highest in non-plague seasons. The two other notable free agents, Tyler Naquin and Kole Calhoun, both hit left-handed.
The internal options don’t look great on paper, as the Jays have many second baseman/outfielders in the minor leagues. The most notable player is Otto López, who slashed .297/.378/.415 in 391 plate appearances with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in 2022. While he only hit three home runs, López slashed .381/.452/.543 in 125 plate appearances against left-handed pitching with Buffalo.
Of course, the Jays could also trade for a player, similar to the Randal Grichuk deal in late March 2022. This trade saw them bring in Raimel Tapia, who gave them a left-handed batting outfielder option at the time.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Blue Jays do, but they’ll need to pick up another outfielder before the season starts. Stay tuned!
As always, you can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @Brennan_L_D.
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