Former All-Star Who Spent Last Two Years with Chicago White Sox Finds New Home
Former All-Star shortstop Elvis Andrus has signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Per Steve Gilbert on social media:
The @Dbacks have signed Elvis Andrus to a Minor League contract. He is in big league camp today.
Given that he's signed a minor league deal, there's no guarantee that Andrus makes the roster. Geraldo Perdomo is penciled in as the starting shortstop and Ketel Marte will play second base, but Andrus can play both positions and could serve as a veteran presence on the bench. The team also traded for Eugenio Suarez to play third base over the course of this offseason.
Now 35-years-old, Andrus is a 15-year veteran who has played with the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox. He spent 12 years in Texas, earning an All-Star nod in both 2010 and 2012. He spent the last year and a half with the White Sox, appearing in games at both short and second. Lifetime, he's a .269 hitter with 102 home runs. He is the active leader in stolen bases at 347 and is a member of the 2,000 hit club (2,091).
Andrus finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting back in 2009.
If Andrus can make the roster, he figures to be part of a team that should contend in the National League once again. Arizona won the National League pennant a year ago but was beaten by the Rangers in the World Series.
They do play in a gauntlet in the National League West, where the Dodgers remain the favorites.
As for the White Sox team that Andrus is departing, they will utilize Paul DeJong and Nicky Lopez in the middle infield.
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