Ronald Guzman signs with NYY

The New York Yankees have signed first baseman Ronald Guzman to a minor league contract, per various writers on Twitter.

And so officially ends Ronald Guzman’s time with the Texas Rangers.

Well, I guess it officially ended a few months ago when he became a free agent. And it isn’t like there was much of a chance he’d re-sign with the Rangers for 2022. But Guzman actually signing with another team makes it, you know, officially official.

Guzman was part of the much-heralded but ultimately disappointing 2011 J-2 class, that also included Nomar Mazara and Yohander Mendez. Guzman got a $3.5M signing bonus, one of the biggest ever paid at the time, while Mazara got a record $4.95M bonus.

Guzman flashed solid leather at first base but struggled to hit enough to be worth a roster spot. The acquisition of Nathaniel Lowe last offseason seemed to signal that Guzman, who was out of options, did not have a future in Texas. He stuck on the Opening Day roster in 2021, however, only to tear his meniscus while playing the outfield at the start of the year, resulting in his missing the season.

If you’re a guy with hitting potential who hasn’t been able to get it together, signing with the Yankees seems like a pretty good plan. We will see if the folks in the Bronx can get Guzman going again.