Miguel Andujar is back on the radar - and this time, he’s got options.
The 30-year-old free agent is drawing interest from a handful of clubs, including the Rangers, Padres, Cardinals, Reds, Cubs, and Athletics. And while he may not be a headliner in this offseason’s free agent class, he’s quietly coming off his most productive season in years - and teams are taking notice.
Andujar split time between Oakland and Cincinnati in 2025, appearing in 94 games after missing a chunk of the season with an oblique strain. But when he was healthy, he delivered.
In 341 plate appearances, he slashed .318/.352/.470 with a 125 wRC+, meaning he was 25% better than league average at the plate. That’s not just a bounce-back - that’s a guy who found his swing again.
Now, it’s fair to point out that his .348 BABIP suggests a bit of good fortune on balls in play. But even if you strip away some of that luck, Andujar’s bat still played.
He’s never been a walk machine - his 5% walk rate last year was low - but he makes consistent contact and rarely strikes out, whiffing just 14.4% of the time. That profile has value, especially in today’s game where swing-and-miss is everywhere.
Over the past two seasons (2023-2024), Andujar posted a more modest .277/.315/.399 line with a 103 wRC+, but that’s still slightly above league average. His BABIP during that stretch was a more sustainable .306, so there’s reason to believe his 2025 surge wasn’t a total mirage - just a player capitalizing on a hot stretch and consistent at-bats.
Where Andujar really shines is in platoon situations. He’s a right-handed hitter with a long track record of punishing lefties.
For his career, he owns a .297/.332/.475 line and a 121 wRC+ against southpaws - and last year, he torched them to the tune of a .389/.409/.578 slash and a 171 wRC+. That’s elite production in a platoon role.
Against righties, he held his own with a .290/.331/.429 line and a 108 wRC+, but it’s clear where his bread is buttered.
Defensively, he’s not locking down a premium spot, but he brings versatility. Andujar played all four corner positions last season - both infield and outfield - and while he’s not winning Gold Gloves, that flexibility gives managers options. In an era of matchup baseball and short benches, that kind of plug-and-play utility can be a difference-maker.
So where does he fit?
Let’s start with the A’s, who know him well after employing him for parts of the last two seasons. With Nick Kurtz at first base and Tyler Soderstrom and Lawrence Butler in the outfield corners, Oakland could still find room for Andujar as a righty bat off the bench or in a platoon. And if they’re not contending - which is a real possibility - he becomes a midseason trade chip again, just like last year when they flipped him to Cincinnati for pitching prospect Kenya Huggins.
Texas is another interesting landing spot. The Rangers project to have Brandon Nimmo in left and Evan Carter - a lefty with some struggles against southpaws - in center.
If Wyatt Langford ends up getting some reps in center, that could open up a corner spot for a right-handed bat like Andujar. Joc Pederson is in line to be the designated hitter, and while he’s a proven bat against righties, his career splits against lefties are well-documented.
Andujar could be the perfect complement.
St. Louis is in the market for a right-handed hitting outfielder, according to team president Chaim Bloom.
With lefty Lars Nootbaar penciled into a corner spot, Alec Burleson at first, and Nolan Gorman getting reps at third, the Cardinals could use a platoon bat to balance things out. They’re in a bit of a retooling phase, but Andujar could help stabilize the lineup and then become a trade asset if the season doesn’t go their way.
The Reds just had Andujar down the stretch and could run it back. With JJ Bleday, a lefty, in one outfield corner and Gavin Lux traded to Tampa Bay, there’s room for a right-handed bat to lengthen the lineup.
The Cubs and Padres also make sense on paper. Chicago has Michael Busch at first and Moisés Ballesteros likely taking over DH duties, while San Diego is mixing and matching with Jake Cronenworth, Sung Mun Song, and Gavin Sheets across first, second, and DH.
Andujar won’t break the bank. He’s likely looking at a short-term deal, probably in the range of what other platoon bats like Austin Hays, Randal Grichuk, and Rob Refsnyder have signed - one-year deals in the $5-6 million range. That’s the market for a righty bat with defensive versatility and proven ability to hit lefties.
He’s not alone in that space. There’s a cluster of right-handed outfielders still available - names like Austin Slater, Tommy Pham, Starling Marte, and Chas McCormick. Harrison Bader is in that group too, though he’s a tier above thanks to his glove in center field and could command a multi-year deal.
But if you’re a team looking for a cost-effective righty bat who can move around the diamond and mash lefties, Miguel Andujar is quietly one of the more intriguing options left on the board.