Eddie Rosario could be back in left field at Truist Park this season. But the popular former Brave likely will be wearing a Washington Nationals uniform.
Rosario and the Nationals have agreed to a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to spring training, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.
The deal is pending the successful completion of a physical exam.
The 32-year-old Rosario is a left-handed hitter who has played nine seasons in the major leagues with the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians and Braves. He has a lifetime batting average of .268 and an OPS of .755, with 159 homers and 548 RBIs.
He started most of the Braves’ games in left field last season, hitting 21 homers with 74 RBIs while batting .255. But the Braves – who led the majors with 104 wins in 2023 – declined a $9 million option for him this season.
Rosario was a star of the Braves’ run to the 2021 World Series title. In the National League Championship Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers that year, he hit .560 (14-for-35) with three homers and nine RBIs to win MVP honors.
Rosario could bring some much-needed power to Washington’s light-hitting lineup. The Nationals also went into this offseason in search of lefty batters.
Washington hit 151 homers last season, the second-lowest total in the major leagues and less than half of the leading 307 produced by the Braves.
The Nationals have finished in last place in the division each of the past four seasons since winning the World Series in 2019, the organization’s first.
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