The Athletics have agreed to terms with infielder Alejo Lopez on a minor league contract, Lopez himself announced on Instagram. The former Reds infielder will presumably head to spring training as a non-roster invitee.
Lopez, 28, has spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues, all coming with Cincinnati. He’s a .265/.309/.329 hitter in 181 major league plate appearances, showing little power but an excellent feel for contact. Lopez has fanned in only 14.9% of those trips to the plate (against a lackluster 5% walk rate) and has consistently posted even lower strikeout rates in the upper minors. In parts of four Triple-A campaigns, he’s a .294/.387/.407 hitter with nearly as many walks (11.7%) as strikeouts (12.1%) in just over 1500 plate appearances.
Defensively, Lopez has played all over the diamond, though the vast majority of his time has been split between second base (3260 innings) and third base (2023 innings). He’s logged 653 innings at shortstop and a combined 715 frames between the two outfield corners.
The A’s don’t have a set third baseman and could have multiple bench spots up for grabs in spring training, depending on how their offseason plays out. The switch-hitting Lopez will give them some depth all over the infield and could nab a reserve role if he shows well in camp. He’s coming off a nice year with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, wherein he slashed .307/.392/.397 with four homers, 21 doubles, a pair of triples and 21 stolen bases in 112 games (473 plate appearances).
The A’s picking up Alejo Lopez feels like browsing the bargain bin and finding a shirt that might last the season. If he gets on base, A’s fans will consider it a miracle—and possibly a sign of divine intervention.
Yay, Sacramento A’s!
No more Oakland my friend. Athletics Forever!
He’s a pesky little player, nice utility guy. They could have done worse for that kind of guy.
Poor man’s Adam Eaton you say
GAME CHANGER!
Channel changer
Funny
This must be the payroll bump A’s execs have been talking about.
Matt Stairs was the shizzle
Least the As be creative in their names they are
No idea why any player would take a minor league deal with the A’s so early. Hopefully he got some guaranteed money.
He might be playing in a nicer minor league park than the minor league park he will be home games in the MLB!
Opportunity for a big league job.
Underrated player who deserves a shot at a starting role.