Socrates Brito Free Agency Rumors: Former Blue Jays and KBO star draws interest from multiple MLB teams
Socrates Brito, a former Major League Baseball player, has spent the past three seasons in Korea. He is coming off a .300 season and could return to the MLB. According to MLB insider Jon Heyman, a handful of teams have expressed interest in the outfielder.
"A handful of MLB clubs have expressed interest in OF Socrates Brito, who is coming off .310/.359/.516 with 26 HR season for the KBO champ KIA Tigers. It was Brito's third season in Korea," Heyman said.
Brito previously played for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019. He has been a quality hitter for KBO's Kia Tigers, and there is some interest in seeing if he can bring that level of play back to the United States.
This would not be the first time someone fizzled out of the MLB, landed in the KBO, and then returned to the MLB. Erick Fedde most recently did it, rejoining with the Chicago White Sox last season. He was then traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Heyman did not report which teams had expressed interest, only saying a "handful" had looked into the free-agent outfielder.
Best fits for Socrates Brito in free agency
Through his shortlived MLB career, Socrates Brito accumulated -0.9 bWAR. After some good seasons in the KBO, he may get a chance to reverse the narrative and turn his career around.
The San Diego Padres, per Fangraphs, have the lowest left-field depth in baseball. This is because Jurickson Profar is a free agent, but they could look at Brito to boost the depth at that spot.
The Atlanta Braves are not much better there, as they're 29th in MLB. They also have some outfield injuries to contend with, so Brito could be a valuable depth piece.
The Colorado Rockies make a lot of sense, too. They have the 27th-rated left field depth, which means Brito might see a lot of playing time in a great hitter's environment. They aren't expected to contend, but they could use that to their advantage and flip him for prospects.