Former Brewers, Mariners Utility-man Elects Free Agency

Jason Burke | Oct 16, 2024

Aug 19, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics third baseman Abraham Toro (31) throws the ball during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images / Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

After one of his better career seasons in the big leagues with the Oakland A's, former Milwaukee Brewers and Seattle Mariners utility-man Abraham Toro has elected free agency.

Toro came to the A's in a trade with the Brewers last offseason, with Oakland sending righty-hander Chad Patrick to Milwaukee in the deal. Patrick had been acquired by the A's in the Jace Peterson deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks during the 2023 trade deadline, but was ineffective in the A's system, posting a 7.89 ERA across 21 2/3 innings in Triple-A. As a member of the Brewers system, he held a 2.90 ERA in Triple-A this season.

Toro initially found his footing with the A's, making the Opening Day roster, and quickly becoming a regular in the lineup, though he was moving around the field consistently. When J.D. Davis landed on the IL, he started getting some playing time at third base. When Davis returned, Toro was moved around the diamond again, staying in the lineup, but before long Davis was DFA'd and the hot corner belonged to Toro.

That is, until June 22 when the A's placed Toro on the IL. The A's had to find guys to man third while he was out, and eventually the 27-year-old was DFA'd, then outrighted to Triple-A at the end of August.

The move cleared room for Max Schuemann and Darell Hernaiz to play more third base down the stretch, with the A's getting more of a look at who could potentially be stationed at the position in 2025.

Now on the free agent market for the first time, Toro is coming off a year where he played all over the diamond, made it into 94 games, hit .240 with a .293 OBP and six home runs, and put up a .643 OPS. It should be enough for a club to take a chance on him, at least on a minor-league deal. A team like the Chicago White Sox or Los Angeles Angels could also be interested in him with a big-league offer.

It's worth noting that when he went on the IL in June, he was batting .260 with a .303 OBP, which, to that point, had mostly come as a regular member of the A's lineup. He held a 99 wRC+ in that time. When he returned to the lineup later in the season as more of a bench player, he hit just .150 with a .250 OBP and a 35 wRC+.