The Yankees have signed a veteran first baseball/outfielder with left-handed power.
While the Yankees continue waiting to find out if free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger takes their five-year offer to return or goes somewhere else, they’ve brought in another left-handed bat, one with two 20-homer seasons on his MLB resume.
Released by the Athletics and Diamondbacks last season, veteran first baseman/outfielder Seth Brown is headed to the Yankees on a minor-league contract.
Brown, 33, hit .185 with one homer and three RBI in 38 games with the A’s. He also spent time for two Triple-A clubs, batting .352 with 13 homers and 34 RBI in 35 games.
Brown signed a minor-league deal with Arizona on July 4 and assigned to Reno, then was released again on Aug. 10.
For his career, the 6-foot-1, 223 pounder is a .226 hitter with 74 homers in 568 games over six MLB seasons playing for the Athletics from 2019-25. In 1,804 plate appearances, he had a very high 27.5 strikeout rate and below average 8.0 walk rate.
After appearing in 26 games in 2019 and seven in 2020, Smith hit .214 with 20 homers and 48 RBI in just 281 at-bats over 111 games as a rookie in 2021. The next year, he batted .230 with 25 homers and 73 RBI in 500 at-bats playing 150 games.
Defensively, Brown has made 119 starts at first base, 149 in right field, 107 in left field and 22 at designated hitter.
Last year, the Oregon native began the season with the A’s, then was demoted to Triple-A Las Vegas on May 25 and was recalled on June 6. He went on the IL with an elbow injury 11 days later, then was released June 28.
With or without Bellinger, Brown will go into Yankees spring training as a long shot to break camp with the Yankees.
As for Bellinger, it’s believed the Yankees’ last offer to Bellinger — five years for around $160 million — may be their best and final. It’s also believed to be the richest offer Bellinger has.
The former NL MVP is seeking seven years for about $266 million, or around $38 million per year.
The Mets and Blue Jays are two clubs that could outbid the Yankees on the heels of both missing out on free agent outfielder Kyle Tucker, who signed with the Dodgers last week for $240 million over four seasons.
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Category: General Sports
