Tampa Bay Rays sign Emilio Bonifacio for some reason

The Tampa Bay Rays have, for some reason, decided to add Emilio Bonifacio on a minor league deal.

Every year, there are those minor league signings that remind us that a player we may have forgotten about is still active. There is that momentary pause, and a bit of confusion when looking up their statistics. Lo and behold, that player had indeed continued playing, albeit in the minors, overseas, or in an independent league, slipping under the radar.

On Monday, the Tampa Bay Rays signed such a player, as they agreed to terms with well traveled utility man Emilio Bonifacio on a minor league deal. This contract also includes an invitation to Spring Training.

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Bonifacio has certainly been a well traveled veteran. Over his 11 years in the majors, he has played for eight different teams, posting a lifetime .256/.313/.333 batting line with 166 steals. He spent most of 2018 playing for the Long Island Ducks of the independent Atlantic League, where he posted a robust .348/.385/.458 batting line with 20 steals over 70 games.

That performance earned Bonifacio a late season stint with the Brewers AAA team in Colorado Springs, but he was unable to make enough of an impact to earn a call up to the majors. In his limited action, he produced a .231/.231/.385 batting line in 13 plate appearances, hitting two doubles.

In a way, Bonifacio makes sense for what the Rays like. He can play several different positions, having seen action at all three outfield positions, short, second, and third. Bonifacio has solid contact rates, and still has good speed. That is the kind of player that the Rays gravitate to, especially on low risk contracts, such as the minor league deal that he signed.

However, there are a myriad of problems with that logic when it comes to Bonifacio. While he has played six different positions in the majors, he has not exactly acquitted himself well defensively at any of them. Bonifacio has also been worth only 4.1 bWAR over his career, barely more than replacement level.

If Bonifacio is going to make an impact upon the Rays, it likely will not be at the major league level. Instead, he could serve as a veteran mentor for the younger Rays players, a possible coach on the field. In that role, he could be useful. Otherwise, there are plenty of players with far more upside than what Bonifacio brings to the table that the Rays could have inked to a minor league contract.

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed Emilio Bonifacio to a minor league deal, reminding everyone that he is, indeed, still playing baseball professionally.