The Braves are in agreement with Leury García on a minor league deal, as first reflected on the MLB.com transaction log. Robert Murray of FanSided tweets the utility player will get a look in big league Spring Training.
García returns to the affiliated ranks after sitting out the 2023 campaign. He was released by the White Sox at the end of Spring Training and spent the rest of the year in free agency. That ended a decade-long run in Chicago. García has never been much of an offensive contributor but endeared himself to multiple Sox coaching staffs with his defensive versatility.
He leveraged that into a three-year, $16.5MM contract when he hit free agency during the 2021-22 offseason. That always seemed a high price for a light-hitting utility player. It didn’t work out at all as the Sox had envisioned. García hit .210/.233/.267 in 97 games during the first season. He was cut loose before the start of year two.
García will make $5.5MM next year, his age-33 campaign. The White Sox are on the hook for that money. If García cracks the Braves roster at any point, Atlanta would only be responsible for the $740K league minimum for whatever time he spends in the majors. That makes this a no-risk flier to add multi-positional depth in exhibition play.
A switch-hitter, García owns a .253/.293/.350 batting line in over 2400 major league plate appearances. He has played everywhere aside from catcher and first base, seeing the plurality of his time in center field. García also has plenty of experience in the corner outfield and at both middle infield positions. Public defensive metrics have graded him around average at every spot.
As a Sox fan, glad to see Leury get another opportunity.
He’s good for a big hit once in a while. I remember seeing him go on a few small streaks here and there. Never for power of course but moving runners along at least. Always seemed like a good dude and stays healthy for the most part.
He didn’t spend the plurality of his time in CF. He was mostly a middle infielder. He’s a very good defensive player, someone the Sox could use but, with their usual ignorance, let him go in favor of one of their incalculable dfa’s. Glad to see him go to a good organization for once.
There’s actual value in not sucking at six positions.
If you don’t have to actually bat.
Yes, there’s that.
Setting the stage for Cease to the Braves, signing or trading for his friends!
Somewhere, Yonder Alonso nods his head and smiles…
While the Sox are collecting Royals, the Braves are becoming White Sox East. Lopez will surprise people who haven’t seen him before. Garcia is a good pick-up for depth almost everywhere. Hopefully they’ll add Cease. All of them deserve to play on a team like the Braves.
AA Strikes again with an under-the-radar pickup!
An Under-the-Mendoza-Line pickup.
Doesn’t matter, if he and Wall make the roster, they’ll have two very useful bench pieces. Both can play every outfield position, and Garcia is capable of playing practically everywhere and providing good defense. Wall is also capable of pench-running late in games, and has excellent speed.
With Garcia, Wall, Grissom, d’Arnaud, and along with some decent depth at AAA their bench is starting to come together very nicely. I’d still like for them to add a power bat for the bench, but that’s just a luxury at this point.
One more starter and a bench bat would complete their offseason to make another Division and Title run look very possible.
There is something else coming but I don’t think it’s Cease
I think its gonna be a guy no one is talking about gonna catch everybody off guard
The Padres seem to be cutting some payroll
Yu Darvish or Joe Musgrove could be in play I would think
Eduardo Rodriguez would be a nice 3
I see no reason to send the prospect capital for Cease just sign Snell it only costs money.
Yes, Sox want WAY too much for Cease. With what they’ve asked for from other teams they definitely asked the Braves for Grissom, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Hurston Waldrep.
That’s a DEFINITIVE heck no from AA. The Braves aren’t desperate, they have adequate #4-#5 depth in their organization with Winans, Dodd, and Vines.
Plus, during the season, any of Ian Anderson, Huascar Ynoa, or especially AJ Smith-Shawver or Hurston Waldrep could provide them with an extra boost in time for another playoff run, or in case anyone goes down.
John
2nd game of 2020 season
Adding middle infield depth at the minor league level, is that a possible signal that Grissom may be included in a trade package?
It’s a signal that they traded Nicky Lopez 3 weeks ago
Great addition by the Braves. At present the Braves have big needs for their bench and Garcia can back up in the infield and the outfield.
ATL swapping N Lopez for L Garcia.
One makes the base and the other 4.5
Cease!
Minor league depth move for a vet that doesn’t qualify as an Article XX(B) free agent. So he can’t opt out and he can be stashed in AAA all season if desired.
Underrated Texas Ranger
I can’t make up my mind about my all-time favorite Chicago Swiss Army knife: Tony Phillips, José Valentín or Ben Zobrist?
There’s no doubt in my mind that Leury Garcia was my fave Swiss Cheese Army knife with all the holes he had in his bat.
Possibly a useful bench piece for a team that doesn’t expose him by playing him every day.
He should be a good fit for the Braves then. They go weeks w/out using bench players. The poor guys are knocking cobwebs off their bats and gloves when they stumble to the plate in shock that Snit is asking them to pinch hit or play some late inning defense. I suspect Snit writes the lineup in ink and hates to ruin the card by making unnecessary changes to it. Just kidding……sort of.
Is he gonna be stretched out as a SP?
Doubt he makes it out of spring training with the braves, but I hope he can prove himself enough to land a spot with another team
He can spend all summer with the Stripers and just stay ready, and Chicago pays him
Guess they don’t need Ohtani anymore.
Leury is a Swiss Army knife who spent 10 years being overexposed by White Sox teams that relied on him too much. Stash him on your bench, or start him for a week or two when you have an injury, and you’ve got a perfectly good player.
This is a great signing. At most you pay him less than a million on the year for a guy that can play anywhere. No he’s not a great bat, but if you run into injuries this year you have one guy that can play anywhere just about. And this is all if he doesn’t sit at AAA all year. He might not even be on your bench when everyone’s healthy. Smart under the radar pick up that could come in handy in August, and if not, sucks to be the chisox who gotta pay him