Gurriel, Iglesias give first comments on joining Marlins. Schumaker outlines next steps
Yuli Gurriel and Jose Iglesias were both in the same position. As spring training got underway, the Cuban infielders and MLB veterans were still waiting for a deal to surface.
The duo had been connected to the Marlins at various points during the offseason but a contract didn’t come to fruition for either until Friday, when both inked minor-league deals with invitations to spring training.
“Two good players that are going to compete for spots in camp,” Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said. “We’re excited that they’re here. Two professionals that have done it before.”
Both were in Jupiter on Friday afternoon and got a full workout in on the back fields of the Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium complex. They were catch partners following stretch, took defense drills at their usual spots — Iglesias at shortstop, Gurriel at first base — and then went through a round of batting practice and baserunning drills.
And both are carrying the same mentality with just under three weeks until Opening Day.
“Just win,” Gurriel said. “Triumph.”
Gurriel and Iglesias fit the mold the Marlins have been crafting with their lineup this offseason. Both are high-contact, low-strikeout hitters just like Miami’s other two primary position player offseason acquisitions in Jean Segura and Luis Arraez.
But both had to wait longer than they had hoped to finally sign with teams.
“I was surprised I ended up in this position, but it worked out fine,” Iglesias said. “[Marlins general manager] Kim [Ng] opened the door for me, and I’m very grateful for that.”
Gurriel added: “It was a long [offseason]. To have an agreement, you need two sides to be on the same page, so it took a little bit of time. In the end, we’re here and we’re ready to play baseball, which is what really matters.”
Assuming both make the Opening Day roster, which appears likely, they fill two of Miami’s defensive voids.
Gurriel gives Miami a second true first baseman. Before his signing, Garrett Cooper was the Marlins’ only natural first baseman in camp. The team has been giving reps at first base during camp to Jordan Groshans and Jerar Encarnacion, who respectively are primarily a third baseman and outfielder.
Gurriel, who turns 39 in June, has played 801 career games over seven MLB seasons, all with the Houston Astros. He was part of two World Series teams (2017 and 2022) and is a career .284 hitter with a .776 on-base-plus-slugging mark, 94 home runs, 435 RBI and 400 runs scored. He won the American League batting title and a Gold Glove Award in 2021.
Gurriel’s career with the Astros began at the tail end of Houston’s rebuild. The Astros went 84-78 that year, finishing third in the AL West.
The six years after that? Houston reached at least the American League Championship Series every season, including four World Series. Gurriel was the Astros’ starting first baseman each of the past six years, starting at least 99 regular-season games there each full season and 54 of 60 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
“It’s something that I was grateful to have seven years playing on a team that was constantly at that level,” Gurriel said. “You need to have talent, and this team is not far from that. There’s a lot of talent here.”
Iglesias fits as a potential shortstop platoon with Joey Wendle. Iglesias is a right-handed hitter; Wendle is a lefty.
Iglesias, who turned 33 in January, is a career .279 hitter with a .701 OPS, 47 home runs, 366 RBI and 438 runs scored. His .292 average last season was the third-highest of his career of the seasons in which he played 100 games. The .708 OPS was fourth.
“I think I’m a very reliable guy,” Iglesias said. “You know what I bring to the table on a daily basis. I put the ball in play. I compete. I care about this game.”
As for their immediate next steps, Schumaker said both Gurriel and Iglesias will get at-bats in minor-league games on the back fields over the next few days before they enter Grapefruit League games.
“I don’t want them to feel they have to sprint right out of the gate and injure themselves and that type of thing,” Schumaker said. “They’re going to get some time to get their timing down. Whether it’s six, seven, eight at-bats down there and if they swing or not, I don’t know. It’s kind of up to them. And then from there, we’ll see what it looks like.”
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