A perfect situation that both sides benefitted from
We’re back at it. Today’s victim of the Season In Review series is second baseman Luis Urias. His addition went very under-the-radar last winter but he ended up getting plenty of playing time for the rebuilding A’s. They needed a veteran stopgap option, and he needed at-bats. It was a perfect marriage while it lasted.
How was he acquired?
Once considered one of the top infield prospects in all of baseball, Urias hit free agency last year for the first time in his career last offseason. After then spending the majority of Winter looking for a place that could provide playing time, he eventually settled for a $1.1 million contract with the A’s on February 17th.
What were the expectations?
With young second baseman Zack Gelof not performing up to snuff in 2024 the A’s wanted to get another option that could handle the position if Gelof scuffled again. Urias also had plenty of experience at third base and shortstop and would provide another option for manager Mark Kotsay to use in those spots as needed. The A’s still had hope in Gelof and wanted to give him another chance as the everyday second baseman but the front office now had a Plan B. And as a former top prospect himself there was the possibility that he could finally emerge as the player analysts thought he could be. Low risk, high reward.
2025 Results
It didn’t take long for Urias to get those at-bats. Gelof would suffer an injury to his wrist right before the regular season was set to commence, providing a path to playing time for the 28-year-old infielder. While the A’s went with rookie Max Muncy for Opening Day, he’d begin to lose playing time to Urias at the keystone, eventually moving over to more of a third base role. And with Gelof on the shelf Urias took advantage of his opportunity.
Over the first half of the season Urias was performing better than expected. He started out hot in April and May, hitting .244 with five long balls in the season’s first two months. That earned him more playing time but his performance trailed off as the year progressed. Each month his stats would get a little worse and worse. He had a pre-All Star slash line of .239/.320/.363 with seven home runs but then hit just .197/.296/.246 with just one homer post-All Star break. And as his performance lagged so did his playing time.
After not getting traded at the deadline, and with Gelof getting healthy the team elected to designate Urias for assignment on August 28th, free up playing time for Gelof and giving Urias a chance to latch on with a contender in need of infield depth. That’s what he did as he returned to a familiar team in the Milwaukee Brewers for the final month of the season, though he’d remain in Triple-A the rest of the season.
2026 Outlook
What all was said and done Urias hit .230/.315/.338 with eight home runs while playing almost exclusively at second base. He elected free agency at the end of the year so he’s back on the market looking for his next destination. He’ll be turning 29 next year and had some serious second-half struggles but his prospect pedigree should get him another low-paying contract. If he waits around though he may end up having to settle for a minor league deal. The A’s gave it a go-around with Urias but are likely to rely on the options in-house for next year.
