The Cardinals announced Monday that they’ve claimed first baseman/outfielder Alfonso Rivas off waivers from the Angels. In a corresponding move, outfielder Moises Gomez was designated for assignment.
Rivas has seen MLB time in each of the past three seasons, splitting those years between the Cubs, Padres and Pirates. The 27-year-old hit well in a tiny sample of 49 plate appearances during his 2021 MLB debut with the Cubs but carries a more tepid .233/.316/.342 slash in 410 trips to the plate over the two previous seasons.
That said, Rivas has a minor league option remaining and an excellent track record at the game’s top minor league level. He’s a career .313/.424/.492 hitter in parts of four Triple-A seasons and has drawn a walk in a massive 15.1% of his plate appearances there. He’s more of a gap hitter than true power bat, evidenced by his 40 doubles and 15 long balls in 637 career plate appearances in Triple-A. He’s primarily been a first baseman in his career, but Rivas does have 342 innings in left field and 75 innings in right field between his time in the big leagues and minors combined. He’ll compete for a job as a left-handed bat off manager Oli Marmol’s bench this spring.
As for the 25-year-old Gomez, he looked to be on the cusp of slugging his way to the big leagues a couple years back but has been dogged by consistent contact issues and saw his numbers decline in Triple-A this year. In 2022, Gomez split the season between Double-A and Triple-A, belting 39 home runs while posting a massive .294/.371/.624 slash line. That power output was accompanied by a staggering 34.7% strikeout rate, however, and things only got worse in his second go-around at the Triple-A level. He still mashed 30 homers this past season but did so with a diminished .232/.293/.457 line and an only slightly improved 31.7% strikeout rate.
The right-handed-hitting Gomez still has two minor league options remaining and is clearly bursting with raw power, but scouting reports have long been down on his glove, speed and particularly his hit tool. FanGraphs and Baseball America both credited Gomez with 70-grade raw power (on the 20-80 scale) as recently as last offseason, but BA put a 40 on his hit tool while FanGraphs was even more bearish and pegged him at a 30.
A club looking for some right-handed pop to stash in the upper minors could well take a flier on the power, but Gomez will need to significantly scale back the strikeouts and/or improve defensively if he’s to carve out a big league role. The Cardinals have a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.
30 HR guy now available
His career numbers, his Strikeout & walk percentages are very similar to Nolan Gorman’s.
The Cardinals present Gorman as a stud player but not Garcia who has comparable career numbers.
Why?
that’s my question, too
They really should have traded him last off-season, but Mo is so gun shy because of Garcia, Arozarena, etc. He would rather our prospects die on the vine than trade them and see them become successful somewhere else. Baseball front offices are not for the thin skinned or insecure.
He was just a complete lottery ticket player and not at all a legit prospect. There was 0 risk to holding onto him in the minors, but he’s got 0 path to playing time and his numbers reflect that. People in this thread saying he’s anything close to Gorman are eating paint chips.
I wish Gomez well. My question was related to picking up Rivas when there isn’t a dearth of players just as good in the system
Well MLBTR, Rivas was only here for a cup of coffee, but you pictured him in a Pirates uniform. Makes up for you missing on the recent Frazier signing article
Kudos, MLBTR. Kudos
Cardinals put minor league slugger on waivers, every team’s ears perk up.
Gomez is raw but has some pretty impressive power. Rivas has always had a polished approach but finally hit for some power in AAA last season. I feel like Gomez has more potential but may never reach it, while rivas floor is AAAA player but could conceivably be a high OBP doubles machine with his upside.
I’d rather have Gomez. We have Burleson, who worked on everything this offseason and hits LH. why??
This looks like competition for Burleson. Very similar players.
what are they going to do with carpenter ?
best case scenario is Carp hits this spring and provides that veteran leadership. worst case is he’s just as bad as last year and he’s DFA’d.
Don’t forget sir, his chips and salsa
Gomez isn’t a prospect. He’s a lottery ticket that came up free ticket and we just used it to acquire a higher floor version of that.
Moist Gomez
I’m still waiting for the off-season surprise the Cardinals have in them. I been waiting for 3 years now.
You must’ve missed the Lance Lynn signing.
um, As a cardinals fan I can say the Contreras and Gray signing blew me away but ok.
Some people have low expectations but ok.
Great another player who exactly like they already have in the roster. Late 20’s walk first approach with limit power. Another cookie cutter vanilla cardinals player.
Well if Goldschmidt, Donovan, Capenter, Edman, Baker, and Bulersion all get hurt at the same time, he’s apparently got you covered.
Gomez may become the latest Ex-Cardinal outfielder to become a star for someone else. His MiLB resume is better than Thomas, Garcia or Arozarena. But at least they did keep Siani.
No it’s not
Rivas was previous on the Guardians roster for a month before the Angels claimed him
Not fair. The mutts wanted him.
Gomez had his chance. I didn’t expect him to last the year. Triple A power is all I see. He would have been traded if other teams were interested.
An educated man has spoken..
Seriously?
Contact issues was the excuse they used to dismiss Adolis Garcia too. And once again, MO’s timing is exemplary. A year ago this time, Gomez could have netted SOMETHING in return but instead, he held onto his “assets’ and watched virtually all of them lose value….Gomez, O’Neill, Carlson, Liberatore, etc.
This organization can not evaluate upper level minor league talent.
On the other hand, other assets like Gorman, Walker, Donovan, Nootbaar, Herrera, Palacios (who has already been cashed in this offseason), Helsley, Tink Hence, and Victor Scott have gained significant value in the last year.
The problem is that not much of that is pitching, and the big pitching talents they have developed in recent years often wind up being injury prone (Martinez, Wacha, Reyes, Flaherty, etc.)
Which teams were interested in Gomez last year?
Specifically I don’t know. But the guy slugged over .600 across two levels. I’m sure someone was interested.
He was basically a one in a million story. He was passed over by every other team for free on waivers twice, including after being originally waived by the lucky Rangers. How many other 27-28 year old guys that barely hit league average and ran sub .300 OBPs at AAA become 3+WAR players? It definitely sucks for everyone other than Texas, but acting like he was a legit prospect at the time of being waived is hilarious.
I think Cardinals fans will like Rivas, although I was in the minority of liking both his defense and offense as a Pirate. I saw a guy who has some decent potential, but platooning just didn’t allow him enough ABs.
Of course they’ll like him. They already want to build statues of Nootbaar and Donovan. He’s just another one of those max effort to make up for talent guys.
Honestly a little surprised the Pirates let him go so early into the off-season. He was an okay hitter vs RHP with decent defense.
if he is, he is….but this one can’t play defense, and he can’t hit AAA and greater pitching.. Maybe he can make the Cards regret it in 3 seasons.
That’s what Adolis did….took him 3 seasons and being DFA’d by the Rangers to become a viable enough bat in a lineup.
I’m happy for him, but he joins a long line of individuals (on many different teams) as to where the hell do you stash him for 3 seasons until he becomes something?
I wish Moises the best, I hope he can find enough solid contact to outweigh the Swing and Miss.
why do you stalk joel,,you are one cruel dude
The same is mostly true for Lane Thomas, as well. It took him a season and a half after the Cardinals traded him before he finally developed into a quality starting outfielder.
I don’t think we have to worry about him being Arozerana because of the reasons already mentioned but also because Randy had already displayed an ability to hit big league pitching. He’s also a very good outfielder
Rivas is going to need to wait for either an injury, Carpenter to get DFAed, or Burleson or Winn to get optioned back to AAA, as the Cardinals’ Opening Day position players are basically already set (once again, barring injury)
C/DH Contreras
C Herrera
1B Goldschmidt
1B/DH Carpenter
2B/3B/DH Gorman
SS Winn
3B Arenado
IF/CO/DH Donovan
OF Nootbaar
OF/MI/3B Edman
RF/3B?/DH Walker
OF Carlson
CO/1B/DH Burleson
yeah, seems like simple depth at first glance
Maybe, just maybe, this is a precursor to a trade of Burly.
Fills his spot if moved.
This is probably accurate against a RHP (with Donovan at DH).
Against a LHP, I’d adjust it to:
C: Contreras
1B: Goldschmidt
2B: Edman
SS: Winn
3B: Arenado
LF: Nootbaar
CF: Carlson
RF: Walker
DH: Gorman
Also, the Starting Pitcher would have to be Gray.
Will Edman be ready by the start of the regular season?
Ollie needs to watch what’s going on around him n not on iPad constantly.We lose shildlt n Maddox n it’s been all downhill from there. Texas pitching sure got better after they got maddox n cardinals were alot worse with mostly the same staff
I really don’t at all. At least Garcia played solid defense and had speed to go with the terrible hit tool and plate discipline. He’s the exception not the rule. Gomez can’t even hit at AAA. That league always has AAAA guys hitting for big SLG numbers.