The Twins are bringing Gio Urshela back where he belongs, as his once-famous walk-up music would suggest. A report from Daniel Álvarez-Montes states he has agreed to a minor-league deal, with an invitation to spring training.
Urshela, 34, was a lineup stalwart for the Twins in his lone season with the club in 2022, and now he’ll hope to win a bench job out of spring camp. Many fans will remember him as one of the main pieces in the return package in the trade that sent Josh Donaldson to the New York Yankees. The Twins traded him to the Los Angeles Angels for minor-league pitcher Alejandro Hidalgo the following winter.
Since leaving the Twins, Urshela has spent the last three seasons with the Angels, Detroit Tigers, and West Sacramento Athletics. While he was a well-above-average hitter in his lone season with the Twins (.285/.338/.429, 118 wRC+), his bat has dipped significantly since, combining for a .260/.298/.357 (81 wRC+) rate. In particular, Urshela has struggled against high velocity over the last two seasons. He has just a 26% Hard-Hit rate against pitches 95 MPH and above. According to Inside Edge, that’s tied for fourth-lowest in all of baseball in that time frame. Ironically enough, that rate is tied with Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who was also part of the Donaldson trade with the Yankees and recently signed a big-league deal with Boston. Regardless, it doesn’t bode well for the aging Urshela, even if his value always lay mostly in his defense.
Entering spring training, the veteran is hoping to prove he can still be a suitable depth piece in the Twins’ corner infield mix. With Royce Lewis penciled in as the full-time third baseman and some combination of Josh Bell, Kody Clemens and Victor Caratini manning first base, it looks to be a pretty tall task for the former fan favorite. He has mostly played third base since leaving Minnesota, and his glovework has suffered as he entered his mid-30s. His defense at the hot corner was worth -3 Outs Above Average in just 56 games last season with the Athletics. It is nice to note, at least, that he’s effectively the opposite of Lewis in terms of swing characteristics, so he could have matchup value as a backup thereto, despite being a righty batter like Lewis. Whereas Lewis has a fast, flat, pull-oriented swing, Urshela uses a slow, steep one that can generate lift but also pushes the ball toward the opposite field.
Even with Urshela’s uphill battle to claim a roster spot, it doesn’t hurt the Twins to bring in a player on a minor-league deal. If he fails to make the team out of spring training, there would be plenty of opportunities for him to play with Triple-A St. Paul, should he accept the assignment.
What do you think about this signing? Are you glad to have Gio Urshela back in the mix with the Twins? Who else would you like to see the club bring in before the start of the 2026 season? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section, and as always, stay sweet.