Rays To Acquire Niko Goodrum, Select Him To 40-Man Roster

The Rays are acquiring utilityman Niko Goodrum from the Twins and will add him to their 40-man roster, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The Rays’ interest in Goodrum was first reported yesterday afternoon.

Goodrum had an upward mobility clause in his minor league deal with Minnesota. He triggered that clause, which requires the Twins to gauge interest around the league and see whether another club would be willing to add Goodrum to the 40-man roster. Tampa Bay, in need of infield depth due to injuries, felt it had space and will presumably send cash back to the Twins to acquire Goodrum’s rights and add him to the 40-man roster. Goodrum has a pair of minor league option years remaining, so it’s not a sure thing he’ll go directly onto the Rays’ major league roster.

Goodrum, a veteran switch-hitter who can play just about any position on the diamond, fits the Rays’ typical mold of versatility. His acquisition was surely spurred by injuries to Taylor Walls (recovering from hip surgery) and Jonathan Aranda (who fractured a finger fielding a grounder this week) — to say nothing of the ongoing legal situation surrounding shortstop Wander Franco, whose MLB future is in doubt.

The 32-year-old Goodrum has played in parts of six big league seasons between the Tigers, Astros and Twins — who originally made him a second-round pick back in 2010. Goodrum returned to Minnesota on a minor league pact this winter but didn’t make the Opening Day roster after stumbling to to a .129/.270/.161 slash in 37 spring plate appearances. That ugly performance didn’t deter the Rays, who are surely looking at Goodrum’s versatility, defensive chops and broader track record in making this acquisition.

From 2018-19, Goodrum was a regular with the Tigers. He posted a solid .247/.318/.427 slash in that time while playing solid defense at multiple positions, and for a time he was even Detroit’s primary shortstop. Over those two years, Goodrum tallied 964 plate appearances and swatted 28 homers while swiping 24 bases. His bat tailed off in the three subsequent seasons before a resurgent 2023 showing between the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate (.280/.448/.440) and the Korea Baseball Organization’s Lotte Giants (.295/.373/.387).

Goodrum seems likely to claim a bench spot in Tampa Bay. The Rays had previously looked to be whittling down the competition for their final two spots, but Topkin reported earlier this week that they were mulling some outside acquisitions for a backup infielder and backup catcher. Goodrum, it seems, was part of those deliberations and will now add some optionable depth who can be controlled through the 2025 season via arbitration if he makes a good impression on his new club.