The Mariners announced that infielder/outfielder Terrin Vavra has elected free agency after clearing waivers. Seattle had designated him for assignment last week when selecting infielder Luis Urías to the roster.
Vavra, 27, had a bit of prospect heat a few years ago but has been sidetracked by injuries. A third-round pick of the Rockies in 2018, he went to the Orioles in the August 2020 trade that sent reliever Mychal Givens to Colorado.
In 2021, a back injury limited him to just 48 minor league games, but he performed well in those. He drew walks at a 15.6% clip and produced a .275/.406/.449 line, leading to a 138 wRC+. He continued putting up solid numbers the next year and also made his major league debut. He slashed .312/.425/.444 for a 140 wRC+ in the minors and .258/.340/.337 for a 99 wRC+ in the majors.
Vavra has played every infield and outfield position during his professional career. He would later dabble with catching to expand his versatility even further. Even with that roughly league average offense at the big league level, he could have been in line for a role as a viable utility player, though the minor league numbers hinted that maybe even something more was in there. Baseball America considered him the #17 prospect in a strong Oriole system going into 2023.
But he was only able to play 43 games in 2023 between the majors and minors, missing significant time due to shoulder problems. He was outrighted off Baltimore’s 40-man at the end of last season. It wasn’t until May of 2024 that he revealed that he had a torn labrum in his right shoulder and had undergone surgery in September of 2023.
He was still recovering from that shoulder surgery at the start of this year and missed some time, coming off the IL in May. Unfortunately, more injury trouble was to come, as he landed on the minor league IL in June due to a left groin strain and then again in July due to an illness. He was healthy enough for the Orioles to add him back to their 40-man roster at the end of July as Jorge Mateo landed on the IL, though the club recalled Jackson Holliday the next day and optioned Vavra back to Norfolk.
Vavra was designated for assignment when the O’s claimed Emmanuel Rivera a couple of weeks ago. He went to the Mariners on waivers but got the DFA treatment after eight days in Seattle’s system, this time passing through waivers unclaimed. Since this was his second outright, he had the right to elect free agency.
Around his various injuries this year, he has played in just 54 minor league games with a diminished line of .242/.338/.353 and 87 wRC+. That’s obviously not great production but perhaps understandable in such a stop-and-start season after in his attempt to come back from shoulder surgery.
Vavra will now be free to discuss contract arrangements will all clubs, though the fact that he cleared waivers means that he’ll be offered minor league pacts. If he eventually makes his way back onto a 40-man roster somewhere, he has less than a year of service time and therefore offers lots of cheap club control, but he will be out of options next year.
Being out of options is brutal for a utility player. Every time he gets to the majors he probably switches teams shortly thereafter.
He’s gotten hurt each time he’s been given a chance.
Hope to see him get an opportunity with another club. A player with the ability to field multiple positions in a possible utility role definitely would appeal to some franchises, especially at a low cost/low risk.
Also, Terrin Vavara is an awesome name. His agent?
Nello P. Gamberdino II
Double awesome.
Vavra.
My most sincere apologies. I’ll make sure to address that with my phone’s autocorrect. Thank you.
Knew it was too good to be true when the Orioles got 3! Players for “goose” Givens!
White Sox should sign him and play him everyday for the rest of the year.
Back to the O’s plz.
Seriously, that club needs a contact-oriented on-base guy. Their offense is… boom or bust.
He needs to prove he is and can stay healthy.