"The 30-year-old Jorge Mateo is not exactly a notable MLB player, but there weren't too many of those available in free agency, anyway. His career, in particular, has been kind of silly: he had a 2.8 fWAR season on the back of an insanely good defensive year in 2022... and basically little else to talk about. That season aside, he hasn't really played good defense, and he's essentially never hit, with a career .274 wOBA and xwOBA (75 wRC+) that he sticks pretty close to."
"Mateo lost a lot of playing time to injuries over the past two seasons. His 2024 season ended with Tommy John Surgery after an elbow subluxation (sustained in an infield collision); in 2025, he missed time with inflammation in that elbow, as well as a hamstring injury. The Orioles held a club option on him for 2026 for $5.5 million, but turned it down."
"While the Braves might be thinking of Mateo as more of a warm body they scrambled to add in the wake of Kim's injury status, the real question about whether he offers anything going forward is really about whatever happened with him defensively in 2022 versus at any other point. A guy who can't hit particularly well (but better than Nick Allen!) but can play stellar shortstop defense is valuable."
Ha-Seong Kim will miss the first weeks of the season with a hand injury sustained slipping on ice. The Braves signed 30-year-old Jorge Mateo for $1 million to provide roster depth. Mateo produced a 2.8 fWAR season in 2022 driven by exceptional defense but has otherwise been a below-average player. His career offensive marks include a .274 wOBA and about a 75 wRC+. Mateo missed time due to Tommy John surgery after a 2024 elbow subluxation and additional 2025 elbow inflammation and hamstring issues. The Orioles declined a $5.5 million option for 2026. Future value depends on whether the 2022 defensive season was an outlier; without reliable defense or offense he projects as replacement level.
Read at Battery Power
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]