The former Ray will stay in Florida
Last night, as news of non-tenders spread around baseball, we learned the Miami Marlins had laid claim to Rays 1B/DH Jesus Aguilar.
A legend in Milwaukee, who made the All-Star team during his time there and even received MVP votes in 2018, Aguilar had a remarkably poor season in 2019, and while the Rays were happy to give the slugger a shot, his power never really showed itself in Tampa Bay. In his 107 PA (37 games) with the Rays, Aguilar hit .261/.322/424 — league-average offensive production, and less than teams want from their first-basemen or DH.
As a consequence, the Rays did not give Aguilar any playoff at bats, and have now moved on from the Venezuelan, with his waiver claim by the Marlins making it official.
Jesus Aguilar is no longer a Rays player just as the one-time All-Star is set to file for arbitration. There’s still a lot to like about the potential of his bat, and he’s worth the gamble if you have the roster space, but with Ji-Man Choi making a strong run to finish out the 2019 season, and a deep team overall, the Rays did not.
Best of luck in Miami, and see you in the Citrus Series, Jesus!
