Casey McGehee reportedly signs 1-year contract with Miami Marlins

2010 seems like a lifetime ago for former Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Casey McGehee, but it appears that he has landed on his feet with a Major League deal.

McGehee, who spent the 2013 season playing in Japan (where he hit 28 home runs) was last employed in MLB by the Pirates, where he hit 8 home runs in 265 plate appearances, and Yankees, where he hit significantly worse at the end of 2012. However, the last time that McGehee was overly effective in the Majors was 2010, when he had what many considered to be a “breakout” with Milwaukee, hitting .285/.337/.464 with 23 home runs and 104 RBI.

In addition to simply landing the gig, Ken Rosenthal reports that McGehee’s deal is worth more than the “minimum”, as it sits at $1.1 million with additional incentive opportunities. I’m not sure I would have given McGehee more than needed to acquire him, but perhaps Miami sees the potential that he displayed in Milwaukee, and with their revolving door at third base, the fit does make some sense.

McGehee was productive for exactly two seasons (2009 and 2010), and to get to that level again, he’ll need to raise up his batting average (read: BABIP) to a sustainable big league level. It does seem like that is at least possible, and with that, it’s a low-cost flyer for a team that needs more talent.