It is reported that the Angels are getting an infielder Luis Guillorme from the Braves, according to Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase. A return to Atlanta is unknown at this time.
Guillorme, 29, was non-tendered by the Mets in November but signed with the Braves in early January on a one-year, $1.1MM deal. A tenth-round pick by New York in the 2013 draft, Guillorme made his major league debut in 2018 but did not receive significant playing time until the pandemic shortened the 2020 season. Although he struggled to a .227/.303/.297 slash line in 80 games over his first two seasons in the big leagues, 2020 saw Guillorme appear in 29 of the team’s 60 contests while hitting .333/.426. / .439, good for a wRC+ of 145.
As impressive as that performance in the abbreviated campaign was, it brought up a .463 BABIP that wouldn’t stay in good shape for a full season. However, Guillorme began to see regular usage for the Mets in the seasons following his strong performance in 2020. With that increased playing time came improved results; Guillorme slashed .265/.374/.311 (97 wRC+) in 69 games during the 2021 campaign, and in 335 plate appearances the following year he hit .273/.351/.340 (104 wRC+ ).
In total, those three campaigns saw Guillorme post production that was 7% better than the league average off the bench while striking out 15.4% of the time and walking at an excellent 12.4% clip. Guillorme’s overall offensive performance has been held back by a lack of power that saw him hit just 3 home runs in 559 trips to the plate from 2020-22. However, the infielder was able to make up for it not only with solid plate direction but excellent glove work; those years saw Guillorme post an impressive +10 Outs Above Average in limited playing time while shuffling between second base, third base, and shortstop.
While his combination of contact, groundball ability, and versatile infield defense made Guillorme one of the best bench bats in the league over that three-year span, the 2023 campaign saw him regress significantly. In 120 trips to the plate in 53 games, Guillorme slashed just .224/.388/.327 (70 wRC+) with much weaker pitches than his previous seasons. His 23.3% strikeout rate is up nearly ten points from last year, and his 8.3% walk rate is a career-worst. Making matters worse was Guillorme’s outfield regression that saw him go from an above-average outfielder near the infield to below-average in every spot he played. The pitcher produced -4 Outs Above Average in 2023, including at least -1 outs in each of his three positions.
That difficult 2023 season is what led the Mets to non-tender Guillorme back in November, allowing the Braves to add him to their bench mix. Unfortunately for Guillorme, however, he was limited to just nine games this season and his .150/.190/.250 slash line in that limited playing time did not make the case for a bigger role in Atlanta. With Luke Williams currently sitting on the bench and non-roster veteran like David Fletcher again Leury Garcia able to step into Guillorme’s relief role, it is unlikely that the Braves will be greatly affected by his departure.
That being said, it’s possible the 29-year-old will get more runway to re-establish himself in Anaheim. The team’s pitch has struggled this year Anthony Rendon, Michael Stefanicagain Miguel Sano all of whom are currently on the injured list. Currently, Luis Rengifo it’s been almost a week since he was out due to illness again Brandon Drury he may be on the injured list in the coming days after leaving yesterday’s game in the sixth period due to a strained muscle.
Cole Tucker again Hosted by Adrianza they currently fill out the infield alongside shortstop Zack Neto, but Tucker has struggled at the big league level throughout his career and Adrianza sports a .165/.248/.218 slash line in the majors over the past three seasons. Given those limited options, it seems like Guillorme will have more opportunities to find a bigger role in Anaheim than he had in Atlanta in the coming weeks. If he is able to return to the form he showed from 2020-22, the Angels will be getting a solid midseason addition to their infield mix that can remain valuable even if the team’s players start to get healthy.
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