Rays sign Amed Rosario, add Yu Chang to increase shortstop depth

Expect Rosario to play a short-side platoon role with Tampa Bay, with the upside of a full time shortstop if needed.

Amed Rosario, longtime shortstop for the Mets and Guardians, has been signed by the Tampa Bay Rays, in a move that will surprise for several reasons.

First is that Rosario is available at all. Among the free agents available this off-season, Rosario could be considered the top free agent shortstop available. Ranked No. 46 on the FanGraphs free agent list but as the top player at his primary position.

Second is that Rosario, who is entering his age-28 season, is signing for a $1.5 million guarantee, when FanGraphs projected a multi-year deal with a $9 million annual value for Rosario.

Third is that Rosario is probably not the Rays primary shortstop. Although the Dodgers acquired Rosario to plug their need at second base mid-2023, the Guardians and Mets both showcased Rosario’s ability to play the outfield as well.

Fourth is that Rosario’s splits are not that different from Rays DH Harold Ramirez. Consider this career stats comparison.

• Player A: .816 OPS/129 wRC+ vs LHP | .719 OPS/99 wRC vs RHP
• Player B: .806 OPS/121 wRC+ vs LHP | .670 OPS/84 wRC+ vs RHP

Of course, trajectory matters. Ramirez is coming off a career best performance at the plate (128 wRC+) while Rosario is coming off his career worst (88 wRC+). Trajectory might also explain the cost above. Nevertheless, the comparison on offense is close enough to make you wonder if the Rays are ready to move on from Ramirez by finding a similar bat (Rosario is player B above), at half the cost financially, with the ability to cover several positions at the quality of defense the Rays demand.

The key split here is on the short side of the platoon. Against LHP Ramirez has tallied wRC+ of 114, 157, and 173 over the last three years, while Rosario has tallied 132, 128, and 112. Even in a down year, Rosario would have only ranked behind Diaz, Ramirez, Arozarena, and Paredes among players with 100 PA vsLHP.

The fifth reason why this might be a little surprising is all the depth the Rays have accumulated at shortstop following Wander Franco’s departure from the team! Setting aside Taylor Walls, who is still recovering from hip surgery, the Rays have the recently acquired Jose Caballero, as well as 2023’s year ending short stop Osleivis Basabe, infield prospects capable of covering the position in Curtis Mead and Junior Caminero, and the recently invited to camp Yu Chang.

Yes, we should also talk about Yu Chang! After fielding minor league invites from 10 teams, per reports, Chang has elected to return to the Rays organization after playing last season with Boston, picking up 39 games in 2023 (with a 39 wRC+ ... yikes).

In total that’s six players in camp capable of covering short stop next season, and a seventh once Walls returns from injury. The Rays are casting a wide net!

Here’s what Rays President Erik Neander had to say about the Rosario signing to Marc Topkin, at the Tampa Bay Times:

“The shortstop/second base/outfield combination, it allows us to bring in somebody that (has) great makeup, (is a) great teammate, (a) great athlete, can handle lefties,” baseball operations president Erik Neander said. “We’ve got some competitions in camp. And depending on how those all get sorted out, the ability to help us at both positions up the middle as well as the outfield gives us a lot of different ways to put this together and come away with a better club than had he not been here.”

As things stand, Caballero remains the front runner for the position, but it will be a storyline to follow as the Rays sort out who will make the 26-man roster, because among the players the only one who cannot be demoted is Rosario, as he is on a major league deal.

Additionally, if Rosario shows strong outfield defense in camp and if Ramirez remains on the roster, it will be interesting to see if Kevin Cash would prefer another infielder on the bench instead of recently acquired outfielder Jonny DeLuca, who has seemed like a lock for the roster up until this moment.