A former Houston Astros World Series hero has inked a contract with a new team.
As first reported by New York Post MLB insider Jon Heyman, Astros fan favorite Yuli Gurriel has signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Padres, a contract which is essentially just a camp invite but includes a $1.25 million salary if he makes the MLB roster plus another potential $1 million in extra incentives.
Gurriel’s tenure with Houston did not come to the most graceful conclusion in his final regular season with the team in 2022, but he was at his best in the playoffs helping the team win their second World Series title in his time there.
That postseason, the slugger slashed .347/.360/.490 with 17 hits and two home runs over the 12-game triumph.
Gurriel took a long time to make the MLB and eventually debuted for the Astros at the age of 32 in 2016. In seven years with the team, he hit 94 home runs with 435 RBI and was consistently reliable at the plate, a fixture in the lineup throughout Houston’s run of American League dominance.
Since leaving the Astros, Gurriel spent the 2023 season with the Miami Marlins and posted forgettable numbers, eventually signing a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves and being traded to the Kansas City Royals and playing just 18 MLB games in 2024.
Now 40 years old and turning 41 in June, it remains to be seen whether or not Gurriel still has the capability to make an MLB roster, but he gets what is likely a last shot with a potential contender in the Padres.