Milwaukee Brewers sign Abraham Almonte to minor league deal

In a move to bolster their organizational depth, the Brewers signed outfielder Abraham Almonte to a minor-league contract. The deal, which was official on October 15 but not announced until Friday, includes an invitation to big-league spring training.

Almonte has appeared in the big leagues for nine consecutive seasons starting in 2013. His 64 games with the Braves in 2021 represented his most extensive MLB action since 2017, when he played in 69 games with the Cleveland Guardians. The veteran is somewhat of a journeyman, having played for six different teams, including a different organization in each of the past four seasons.

In 440 career games, the 32-year-old has slashed .234/.302/.374 for an 83 wRC+. He has fared quite well in Triple-A, posting an .865 OPS in 369 games. In the field, he has ample experience at all three outfield positions.

At the MLB level, the Brewers have Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain, and Hunter Renfroe lined up as starters in the outfield with Tyrone Taylor also positioned for plenty of playing time. Utility players Jace Peterson and Mike Brosseau can handle the outfield corners if needed. President of Baseball Operations David Stearns has floated the possibility of Keston Hiura also competing for time in the outfield in spring training.

Don’t expect Almonte to receive much (if any) time with the big-league club in 2022. Instead, he is likely to serve as depth for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds.

Statistics courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference