A free agent utility player from the Yankees signs a contract with the Oakland Athletics
This offseason, the former utility player for the New York Yankees—who was once seen to be a promising addition—signed a free agent contract with the Oakland Athletics.
Like they always do, the New York Yankees are linked to a number of the best players available in free agency as they start to navigate a pivotal winter.
The organization feels that they need to enhance their roster before the next season after a dismal 2023 campaign.
Over the years, several of the players who were previously thought of as the Yankees’ answers have moved on to other teams.
Miguel Andujar, their former utility player who was once seen to be a promising addition to the team, is one example of this.
In 2011, Andujar was first signed by New York as an international free agent. Before making his Major League debut in 2017, he played in five games throughout his six-year tenure in their minor league system.
In 2018, he saw a lot of action, appearing in 149 games and finishing with a slash line of.297/.328/.527, 27 home runs, and 92 RBI.
After a shoulder injury that required surgery and limited him to just 12 games in 2019, his once-promising career was shelved. The former young star’s injury run started then, and over the next three years, he played 93 games with the Yankees.
In the summer of 2022, Andujar was sent to Triple-A, which prompted him to ask to be traded. He was finally called up again in August, but his wish was not granted, and he was once more optioned to their minor league squad.
He was slated for assignment in late September of 2022, but the Pittsburgh Pirates claimed him off waivers, ending his time in New York.
For the utilityman with the Pirates in 2023, it was largely the same as he alternated between the MLB squad and their Triple-A affiliate.
According to Jon Heyman of The New York Post, Andujar signed a one-year, $1.7 million contract for 2024 after being acquired off waivers by the Oakland Athletics after the season.
In a somewhat less stressful setting than what he encountered with the Yankees, the 28-year-old will try to return to his prior form.
Brad Wakai received his journalism degree from Penn State University. He worked at the student radio station as an undergrad, covering a variety of Penn State sports programs, including football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, and other games.
