Miami Marlins are interested in Yuli Gurriel

The Miami Marlins don't have a great first baseman at the moment to say the least. If the season starts tomorrow, Garrett Cooper is the man at the position. This clearly isn't ideal, so The Fish have another option in mind... Yuli Gurriel. Is he really the answer against The Fish's competition in the packed NL East? I don't know, but we can look at it and decide for ourselves.

The Miami Marlins are targeting Yuli Gurriel for first base.

Yuli Gurriel had a lengthy career with the Houston Astros. He won two World Series (in 2017 and 2022). He also won four pennants with them (2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022). Since he debuted in 2016, Yuli has batted .284/.328/.448. Gurriel's best season came in 2019, when he batted .298/.343/.541 with 31 home runs and 104 RBI in 144 games and 564 AB. Of course that was kind of a questionable season with the power output...

Yuli Gurriel's second highest home run total in a single season has been the 18 that he hit during the 2017 season. Yuli won the AL Gold Glove award for his work at first base in 2021 and finished fourth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2017. Yuli was never seen as a star though and after batting .319/.383/.462 in 2021 in 143 games and 530 AB. In 2022, he batted .242/.288/.360 in 146 games and 545 AB. He's 38 years old however.

The age is definitely a concern as he's unlikely to get any better, though it's possible that he's going to bounce back a bit. Still, the chances of him doing it may not be as high as we'd hope if he ends up getting signed by the Miami Marlins.

How much would he cost The Fish? I can't imagine him getting more than a one year deal at less than $10 million. I also can't imagine him being pursued by too many other teams. The Houston Astros in fact passed on bringing him back completely. So, should the Miami Marlins sign Yuli Gurriel? Only if he can bounce back.