The Athletics have agreed to terms with outfielder Sam Fuld on a minor league deal with a Spring Training invite, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Fuld is a client of Munsey Sports Management.
The will 32-year-old left-hander will earn $800K if he is on the MLB roster and has $100K in incentives based upon games played. He can opt out in late March or on June 1, if he has not been added to the active roster.
Fuld has spent his last three seasons with the Rays, serving as a reserve outfielder, but was non-tendered after a rough year. Over 2011-13, Fuld saw 653 plate appearances and posted a .230/.301/.326 triple-slash. He stole 35 bases, but was caught 12 times in that stretch. Last season, Fuld saw his numbers dip to a .199/.270/.267 line in an even 200 trips to the plate over parts of 119 games. Though he does not generally impress with the bat, Fuld is regarded as an excellent defender at the corners who also can be trusted in center.
For the A's, Fuld comes with less than four years of service time, so could potentially be controlled for three more seasons. Fuld will look to crack the roster and join an outfield mix that includes Yoenis Cespedes, Josh Reddick, Coco Crisp, and Craig Gentry.
How many ex rays can go to the A’s!
25
40, this time of year.
Their is no way Fuld will be on the opening day roster with Gentry aboard.
With Oakland you never know. All of Crisp, Reddick, and Cespedes missed time at one point last season. Depth is always key.
I agree with letsgogiants. All 3 of our starting outfielders have major durability concerns. Gentry will be starting by mid-season in place of one of them. It’s a sure thing. We need 5 outfielders.
Great signing by Oakland. He’ll provide outfield depth if he stays with the organization and seems like a cool guy in general.
Super Sam is already 32 ?
Darn it….I was hoping there was a chance the Rays could find a spot for him. Sam Fuld is an awesome guy and an even better role model. He just wrapped up his diabetes camp this weekend at USF.
Great get for the A’s. He is one of those rare players that I never got mad at despite his struggles at the plate. I can not explain why. I had hoped the Rays would get him back but failed to see a fit with the current roster makeup. Good luck Sam!
Good AAA depth, I like it
The A’s take seriously the idea of putting a watchable AAA team together for the fans in Sacramento, maybe because it’s not far away and they want those people to be A’s fans too. This might be the purpose of the Fuld signing, although as other readers point out, most of their outfield is injury-prone.
Derek Barton needed somebody with an OBP 100 points higher than his anemic batting average to keep him company in Sacramento before the annual September call-up/tease.
Well, we do need outfield depth but I’m not really sure Fuld is the answer. The guy doesn’t hit. Can’t hurt to bring him in for Spring Training though, he could be the 5th outfielder. Good luck kid
I guess Bobby Abreu wasn’t available.
If you wanna make a joke, you could say Oakland is bringing Sam into the Fuld.
Oakland is bringing Sam into the Fuld.
Remember when he was hitting .400 in 2011 for a few weeks, and some geniuses thought it deserved headline attention?
Was really hoping the Rays could keep him. Good luck to him and the A’s, another good ball club.