Earlier this week the Indians were said to be interested in Casey Kotchman, but today the veteran first baseman signed a minor-league contract with the Rays that includes an invitation to spring training.
Tampa Bay lost last year’s starting first baseman, Carlos Pena, as a free agent, but Dan Johnson is expected to replace him and the Rays also just added Johnny Damon and Manny Ramirez to the first base/designated hitter mix.
Kotchman is a very good defensive first baseman, but hit just .217 with a .616 OPS in 125 games for the Mariners last season and the 28-year-old is a career .259 hitter with a .326 on-base percentage and .392 slugging percentage. He might have some use as a bench player under the right circumstances, but his bat just isn’t good enough to be a regular option at the most offense-driven position.
