Jerry Sands elects free agency

Outfielder Jerry Sands has elected free agency rather than accept an outright assignment from the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Sands had been designated for assignment by the team on November 4th.

Tampa Bay originally claimed Sands off of waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates last winter, expecting that he’d work his way into the mix off the bench. Sands failed to land a spot on the team’s Opening Day roster and found himself at Triple-A to begin the year. There he’d hit .268/.352/.474 with nine home runs in 219 plate appearances.

Come June 1st, the Rays called him up to join the Major League roster but he’d make it into just 12 games before seeing his season come to a premature end due to a wrist injury. In 22 PA he’d bat a mere .190/.227/.333. His lone extra base hit was a two run, 8th inning home run against the Baltimore Orioles.

Sands was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2008 in the 25th Round. He’d make his debut with the team in 2011, seeing limited action in the major leagues in the four seasons since. Sands has appeared in just 82 games – primarily in the corner outfield, but he can also handle first base – and has hit .240/.317/.372 in 273 PA.

The 27 year old does have the distinction of being involved in two significant trades in his career. The Dodgers sent Sands to the Boston Red Sox following the 2012 season along with Rubby De La Rosa, completing the mega-deal that the two sides had agreed to in August involving Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and Josh Beckett. Boston moved him less than three months later, shipping him to the Pirates as part of a package of players that brought Joel Hanrahan and Brock Holt.