Miguel Andujar proved his value in 2025.
The right-handed hitter performed admirably for the Athletics and then, after a trade, for the Cincinnati Reds. It was a good impression to leave before Andujar headed into free agency this offseason.
It's early January, and Andujar is still waiting for a contract. But he now has something else working in his favor.
A similar player type to Andujar, Rob Refsnyder, got a one-year, $6.3 million deal with the Seattle Mariners, the biggest contract Refsnyder has had in his career.
"Miguel Andujar is going to find a home, maybe partly because Rob Refsnyder helped to define the market for right-handed hitters who mash lefties, with his one-year, $6.3 million deal with the Mariners," ESPN's Buster Olney wrote on Tuesday. "Last season, Andujar blistered left-handers for a.389/.409/.578 and wasn't bad against right-handers, either:.290/.331/.429. Andujar also has a reputation for being a great clubhouse guy; both the A's and Reds spoke very highly of their experience with him. But like (Luis) Arraez, Andujar is viewed as someone who doesn't have a landing spot on the field."
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Because of the specificity of Andujar's role, he may still have to wait a while.
The big four hitters are still out there in Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman and Cody Bellinger. The teams in contention for those signatures may wait to make other moves until they know whether they have or have not landed one of those players.
Eventually, Andujar will get a spot. He's done well to revitalize his career after not quite making it work with the New York Yankees at the start of his MLB career.
There's value to be had from Andujar's platoon potency, and a team will get that on board soon enough.
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