Former Rays and Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza Jr. is running at 100 percent and drawing interest from a handful of teams as he looks to bounce back from a devastating knee injury, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi tweets. Souza underwent surgery in April after tearing the ACL, LCL, PCL and posterolateral capsule in his left knee in a gruesome and gut-wrenching injury at home plate at the end of Spring Training. Per Morosi, the Rays, Giants, Cubs and Rangers are among the teams who’ve shown interest.
That report paints a fair bit of overlap between the markets for Souza and Nicholas Castellanos — he’s reported to be interested in signing with the Giants, Cubs or Rangers — though it’s doubtful that any club has Souza ranked ahead of Castellanos (beyond teams whose payroll simply won’t accommodate Castellanos). That said, Souza could certainly be a fallback option for a team that misses out on Castellanos and/or fellow right-handed-hitting corner outfielder Marcell Ozuna.
Looking at the teams listed, the budget-conscious Rays are reportedly hoping to reel in a right-handed bat and assuredly won’t spend at the level required for Castellanos or Ozuna. But they’re plenty familiar with Souza, his makeup, clubhouse presence and on-field upside. Souza spent three seasons in Tampa Bay before being traded to Arizona, but it’s fair to wonder whether he’d be amenable to playing his first season post-surgery on the artificial surface at Tropicana Field.
The Cubs, operating in a decidedly non-Cubs manner over the past two winters, are reportedly looking to shed payroll to avoid a second slap on the wrist for luxury tax purposes. They paid out $7.6MM in luxury fees this year but seem motivated to avoid a second year of taxation despite the fact that a second-year offense would only see their penalty level increase from 20 percent to 30 percent. Nearly every report out of Chicago this offseason has signaled that a Castellanos reunion is far-fetched, but Souza would represent a more affordable option with some upside.
Meanwhile, Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said prior to the offseason that adding power to a lineup that was largely devoid of home run threats would be a priority this winter. A healthy Souza fits that description and also fits with the slate of short-term signings the Giants have made under Zaidi.
The Rangers moved on from Nomar Mazara during the Winter Meetings and traded Delino DeShields this past weekend, creating some space in the outfield. They’re a largely left-handed club, so Souza’s right-handed bat could hold some appeal if other options (Castellanos in particular) don’t pan out.
Souza, 31 in April, was worth about four wins above replacement in 2017 when he hit .239/.351/.459 with 30 home runs, 21 doubles, two triples and 16 stolen bases (in 20 tries). He’s graded out as a strong defender in right field, per metrics like Defensive Runs Saved and Outs Above Average, although coming off such a major knee reconstruction, there’ll surely be some skepticism about his mobility and how well he’ll be able to track down fly balls.
phenomenalajs
At the very least, he’ll get a non-roster invite.
keysox
White Sox – 1/4 with an option
bryzzo_2016
I believe the article says that a team he ACTUALLY wants to play for will sign him. So unless the south siders are gonna severely over pay again (Grandal) I don’t see him going there. My bet is the Giants.
stephaniebpetagno
Makes a heck of a lot of sense. Stick him in right field for half a season and trade him for a decent-ish prospect.
krillin89
Here’s a question. Who has more earning power. Him or Puig?
PKVA
He will be the poor man’s Puig..
Ketch
Puig. He has twice as many knees…
drewm
Meanwhile, a lonely Puig waits by the phone
sleepyfloyd
Oh Puig will be fine. Talent evaluators know few have his defensive and offense skills.
fmj
yeah but few have his mental midgetry as well
Ketch
Lionel Richie just called Puig to say he loves him…
Big glove502
Did he start the call with “hello?”
Dalton1017
Rangers should sign him and go to 1B
megaj
Why the hell would the Cubs want this guy? Epstein is really pissing me off this offseason. Acquiring someone like this means you are either planning to trade Schwarber = AN AWFUL MISTAKE, or you will move Heyward to CF which is also a mistake. The0- THE CUBS DON’T NEED A CORNER OUTFIELDER! They need a CF and a quality starter. Go trade Bryant for Thor, Fried, Clevinger, or Robles as soon as his grievance is lost. If the Indians want more than Bryant, throw in Almora and whatever prospect they want!
mr. g
Preach on megaj. The Cubs are so scared to show their hand for some reason. Do they have money or do they not? Are they going to trade someone out not? As fans, we need to start seeing an offseason plan forming or it’s going to be a complete riot. Currently, it looks like we will be over the luxury tax AND still not have a full roster come spring. Make up your mind Cubs!
Obviously Bryant cannot be traded until his grievance is settled, but the Cubs are idiots for postponing their entire offseason while they wait. What the heck is taking MLB so long anyways? They have only had what, four years to think this over?! This should have been settled last offseason, not this one.
Mikel Grady
Calm down the cubs are signing Keuchel . Castellanos and better arms for the bullpen .
desertbull
Epstein has not signed him. These are rumors. 99.9% are just speculation and never come true. Get mad IF he signs Souza, not because some internet blogger says it MIGHT happen.
GiantsX3
This seems very logical for the Giants.
jekporkins
I agree, but if you’re a power hitter coming off an injury and want to improve your number on a one-year deal there is not a lot of worse places to go than San Francisco.
Appalachian_Outlaw
Yeah, I’m stunned he’s interested in SF because that park just doesn’t play for power. I’d be angling for a deal with Texas, if I were Souza.
stephaniebpetagno
He’s limited in where he can go – he can only go to interested teams. If he went to San Francisco, if he puts up anything approaching decent play, he’ll get a mid season trade to a contender, and the Giants will incrementally improve their farm system.
R.D.
If the braves arent gonna resign joyce, this guy seems like a good choice.
Ketch
You rhymed!!
megaj
Why the hell would the Cubs want this guy? Acquiring someone like this means you are either planning to trade Schwarber which would be a mistake, or you will move Heyward to CF which is also a mistake.THE CUBS DON’T NEED A CORNER OUTFIELDER! They need a CF and a quality starter. Go trade Bryant for Thor, Fried, Clevinger, or Robles as soon as his grievance is lost. If the Indians want more than Bryant, throw in Almora and whatever prospect they want!
bighiggy
Could be a replacement option for ozuna, at 1 year 5 or 6 mil could be a steal. He may get more than that, but cards should still be in. Unless the cards are going to pray on all their in house candidates.
Shoeless Joe's Diploma
TEXAS Rangers NEED some big RHH behind Joey.
Any of the three mentioned would work…. but
I’d love to see Ozuna, but I’m not sure he’d fit in our clubhouse.
Nick loses me on Defense.
Souza could be our guy, but he’s another corner not needed.
Stick with the plan… sign 3B Donaldson and move him to 1B when Jung is ready.
Young Rookie Steele Walker can / will be our CF’r by ASB.
’nuff sed
Ketch
Why not Kole Calhoun?
KHE
Yep, here we go AGAIN, wanting to pass on Healthy, productive FAs and instead lets go sign someone who has missed significant time last season and all of the year before due to Major Injuries.
moethacker
Rumor has it that Epstein and Hoyer went to lunch today at Al’s, paid for by Tom Ricketts. They each wanted an Italian beef but settled for a pack of crackers split between them and a cup of water in order to stay within the Ricketts budget.
chesteraarthur
Maybe Theo shouldn’t have bought those expensive and rotten meals previously
moethacker
Well played, Chester,
tsc32
Souza only makes sense for Texas if he’s willing to move to 1B. Texas already has Calhoun and Gallo at the corners with Choo and Solak as cover.
Rangers29
Souza would be the cheap option if we happen to trade for Arenado (I hope we don’t, i’d rather trade for Muncy and stick Solak at 3rd), but we could get Souza for our 1b/OF platoon bat.
paindonthurt
It’s a depth signing for 90% of teams. You wouldn’t want to take a flyer as a bench guy? Many ridiculous comments in this chat.