Houston Astros Rumors: Possible landing spots for free agent class
Evan Gattis
Position: C/DH/1B
2018 Salary: $6.7 million
Seeking Estimate: $7-9 million/year
Possible Landing Spots: Rays, Angels, White Sox, Royals
Of all the players in the Houston Astros 2019 free agent class, Evan Gattis departing hurts my heart the most. This should come as no surprise, since my fan blog on him, The White Bear Chronicles, highlights this sentiment on a frequent basis.
Be that as it may, there is still the harsh reality that El Oso Blanco will be in a different uniform next season. The only scenario I can see him going back to the Astros is if the organization misses out on getting Nelson Cruz or Bryce Harper among other names. And even then, he may only get a minor league deal at that.
To avoid this, I predict the bear will find a home in one of the four teams that can use any combination of a catcher, DH or first baseman. Enter the Tampa Bay Rays, whose writers are already throwing his name around, but may back off from it with the recent acquisition of Mike Zunino from Seattle. AL Central teams like the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox, both of whom are in rebuild mode, may also seek out the champion Bull-Bear for an impact bat to help them be competitive.
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Also, look for the Angels to make a push, should they trust Gattis enough to be behind the plate for them on a more consistent basis to satisfy their need for a catcher AND keep him in the AL West. Either way, despite what some folks out there would want to say, Gattis will get a multi-year deal somewhere despite his down 2018 year.
In all honesty, it was only down for his average and OPS. Anyone at his age that can still be a 25/75 guy with power is still a player of value. He won’t get nearly what Keuchel will command, but Gattis is another beard that will get a nice payday from a reputable team somewhere in Major League Baseball.