Postseason hero returns to Braves on a minor league deal after getting DFAed

The Atlanta Braves have brought back former postseason legend Eddie Rosario on a minor league contract. Rosario was famously brought in during the historical 2021 trade deadline that saw the Braves rebuild their entire outfield after losing Ronald Acuna Jr to injury. Rosario was the only one to remain with the team over the next few years as guys like Jorge Soler, Joc Pederson, and Adam Duvall would spend time elsewhere.

When the team made the move to bring in Jarred Kelenic this past offseason, it became apparent that Rosario would probably be playing elsewhere in 2024. That turned out to be the case when he signed a $3 million deal with Atlanta's division rival, the Washington Nationals. That looked like a solid landing spot for Rosario as he would get plenty of playing time with a young team on the come-up.

Unfortunately, Rosario struggled as in 67 games, he had 235 plate appearances where he hit .183/.226/.329 with seven HR, 26 R, 26 RBI, and 8 SB including a .243 wOBA and 54 wRC+. Eddie is prone to peaks and valleys and that can be seen with his monthly breakdown.

March/April: 22 games, 73 PA: .088/.137/.162, .137 wOBA, -18 wRC+
May: 26 games, 92 PA: .253/.319/.530, .364 wOBA, 137 wRC+
June: 19 games, 70 PA: .191/.200/.250, .196 wOBA, 22 wRC+

The Nationals would DFA Eddie Rosario on July 1st with the promotion of their top prospect James Wood. If Rosario were a qualified hitter, his 54 wRC+ would rank him as the worst hitter in baseball.

The current worst qualified hitter in baseball is Atlanta's own Orlando Arcia with a 60 wRC+. Just as a side note.

Bringing in Rosario on a minor league deal is a low-risk situation for the Braves. Given the team's struggles to find a solid third outfielder in Acuna's absence, and the desire to find a second with Michael Harris' hamstring injury, the move to sign Rosario for the depth makes sense.

If Rosario can be a competent major league bat, he will improve the team. A team that has run out Ramon Laureano, Forrest Wall, and Luke Williams in recent weeks. Atlanta just optioned Wall back to Gwinnett and recalled Eli White to the big league roster.

The memory of 2021 is still strong but that should not be the expectation for Eddie. That was a (phenomenal) outlier in his career and isn't likely to happen again.

The only potential downside to bringing in Eddie would be if the Braves decide he fixes their outfield issues and they choose not to upgrade at the position at the deadline. I doubt Alex Anthopolous would view Rosario as the fix, however. This move makes sense as a low-risk move that could be a band-aid to fix the team in the short term while also bringing back a fan favorite.

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