TODAY: It “looks promising” that Hosmer and the Cubs might work out an agreement, Heyman tweets.
DECEMBER 30: Free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer is “on the radar” of the Cubs and Orioles, per a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Hosmer is a free agent after being released by the Red Sox earlier this off-season.
2022 was a challenging year for Hosmer. He was hitting .272/.336/.391 for the Padres at the deadline when they made their move to acquire Juan Soto and Josh Bell from the Nationals. Hosmer was originally part of the return going to Washington, but he exercised his limited no-trade clause to veto that deal. The Padres pushed ahead and ultimately sent Luke Voit to the Nationals instead, and flipped Hosmer (and his remaining salary bar the league minimum) to Boston with prospects Corey Rosier and Max Ferguson in exchange for Jay Groome.
Things didn’t pan out in Boston, as Hosmer hit .244/.320/.311 over 50 plate appearances before landing on the injured list with lower back inflammation and missing the remainder of the season. Given San Diego were paying almost all of his salary, there seemed a chance that Hosmer would remain with Boston in some capacity moving forward. However, the team DFA’d him earlier this month, opening up first base for rookie Triston Casas. There were reports that the Red Sox were trying to trade him prior to the DFA, but they evidently found little interest and Hosmer ultimately found his way back onto the open market.
While it’s been a slightly rocky road for Hosmer lately, and his eight-year, $144MM deal with the Padres has not panned out as planned, he can still be a productive player for a lot of teams. That’s particularly true when considering the fact that the Padres are still on the hook for his $13MM salaries over the next three seasons, and any new team would only have to pay him the league minimum rate for any time spent on the active roster.
Since 2020, Hosmer has slashed .271/.335/.407 with 29 home runs, good for a wRC+ 107. That’s a bit of a drop off from his best years but still represents an above-average player. He’s sacrificed a bit of power in that time, but has lowered his strikeout rate a bit from previous seasons.
The Orioles do make a fair bit of sense as a landing spot for Hosmer. As things stand, the right-handed Ryan Mountcastle is slated to handle the bulk of the reps at first base, with no clear option at DH. Hosmer, a left-handed hitter, could give them another first base/DH option to deepen their lineup, and provide manager Brandon Hyde with another option to tweak the lineup depending on matchups. With a young roster looking to take the next step towards contention, adding a World Series-winning veteran like Hosmer certainly wouldn’t hurt in the clubhouse either.
The Cubs also make sense as an option for Hosmer. They’ve already been linked with free agent first base options Trey Mancini and Dominic Smith this winter, so it comes as no surprise that Hosmer would be on their radar as well. The Cubs have been busy this winter, but Matt Mervis and Patrick Wisdom stand as the likeliest in-house candidates to man first base/DH in 2023, so adding a bona fide first baseman like Hosmer makes plenty of sense.
While both the Cubs and Orioles do make sense for Hosmer, it’s worth noting that there’s a fair few teams that would make some sense on paper, particularly at the minimal cost. The Cubs and Orioles do, however, present as two teams that have a clear path to regular playing time for Hosmer and are aiming to compete in 2023.
Hosmer’s the s#!++y gift that keeps on giving.
If you’re planing on contending, you’re not considering Hosmer.
At league minimum, many teams would be interested. The Cubs could use the veteran leadership.
Even if you’re not planning on contending, you’re not considering boston. Cite to Boston.
He has league average numbers at the plate. Most concerning is his declining defense.
Sounds like a good DH for a bottomfeeding NL team like Miami without entrenched bad contract dh-only types
I don’t understand this hatred towards Eric Hosmer? Yeah he got overpaid and them some. He’s not a bad baseball player and once upon a time led the Royals to back to back world seires winning the last one in 2015? I don’t understand why everyone hates on this dude so much? Did he say some derogatory things or something i missed perhaps?
He’s always been thought of as overrated by the sabre crowd.
Hosmer really was overrated. That’s entirely fair. He was part of a team construct. He made bank on his image and what a lot of people thought they were seeing. It’s like buying Ringo Starr and thinking you’re getting the Beatles.
He’s not without value. He always had more value as a Royals s*x symbol to their female fan base than what his actual on field value was.
Holy Smokes!!!
Well hopefully my NL favorite Cubs can nab him. I always liked Hosmer, who grew up a big Yankee’s fan upstate NY.
I believe he grew up in Florida. Definitely not upstate.
Hosmer is from Florida. His mother is Cuban.
Hopefully my IL favorite Mud Hens can nab him. Hosmer grew up a big Tigers fan in the Upper Peninsula. His mother is a Yooper.
I hope my team the Nippon Ham Fighters sign him. He grew up in Nimagupo and has been a huge fan ever since he was a shounen.
Sorry, friend, Hosmer grew up loving the Marlins
Hosmer grew up in Florida. He said he rooted for the Yankees:
espn.com/video/clip/_/id/13977619
Maybe you dont know whom you’re referring y. Cuz hosmer is from miami
C’mon, GM Ms. Kimberly Ng … Help Eric Hosmer decide here !!…He loves the MARLINS since childhood. We need a good-hitting first baseman (besides Cooper who we all know is injury-prone, big time), Plus San Diego pays the largest chunk of his upcoming salaries… A no-brainer !!.
Theoretically the $17,000,000 per year that SD is paying Hosmer was a guaranteed contract, and he was released, so Hosmer can make a new contract with the new team for whatever he can get. Said another wave, the new team will have to outbid other suitors as if the $50,000,000+ contract does not exist, because for the purposes of the new contract it is irrelevant.
@JC#1: Huh?
@JC, teams can only offer him the veterans minimum til his contract is over. That portion will b subtracted from what the Padres are on the hook.
Not how it works.
If you need a good hitting 1B, how did Hosmer name get in the conversation?
I am guessing there are more than two teams with the DH in both leagues now. Just saying.
The orioles and cubs are probably the most competitive teams that are interested that could actually offer him a chance at playing time.
The Orioles are going to be far and away more competitive than the Cubs. Cubs look like a distant third in a weak division, they have a very, very thin roster. Hosmer isn’t moving that needle.
Cubs will be better than you give them credit for. They were 40-30 over the last couple month of the season once Contreras got hurt and Gomes became the every day catcher and they started calling up kids from the minors.
Very distant third? How much better than the Cubs are the Brewers really? I’ll bet when we close the books on this off-season, their win projections will be pretty similar.
His name is “stan lee the manly”—nothing more than a Cardinal fan trolling. Just troll back and let him know that the Cubs are still undefeated in playoff series against the Cardinals.
How do you figure? I mean I don’t love the Cubs off-season moves so far but their rotation is significantly better than the Os and with the additions to the rotation, pushing Keegan, Alzolay and Wesneski to the pen, that is solid too. Offensively with the addition of Swanson and Bellinger the Cubs have the edge.
The Cubs are going to have one of the best defenses in baseball with Nico shifting to second and the addition of Bellinger.
The Os are like tigers from the year prior, their numbers do not reflection being competitive, especially not in that division. The fact the Os have made no significant moves this off-season cements my opinion.
The O’s are miles better than the Tigers. The O’s develop their young players. That team is for real. Full season from Henderson and Rutschman. G-Rod will debut. Should see DL hall all year too.
Should be in the postseason conversation.
Outside of Burnes and Woodruff, the Brewers don’t have much of an edge on the Cubs, Brewers on paper probably a little better offensively, but if the Cubs pickup Hosmer, and Mervis is the real deal, they will have a pretty solid team offensively.
Their starting pitching is actually pretty solid too, Justin Steele is a nice looking lefty, Tallion is going to give you good innings, and Stroman was really good late last season, big question for the Cubs is the depth in their rotation and their bullpen, if Smyly continues to pitch well and Hendriks finds his form, Cubs can win the NL Central.
The bullpen is the big question mark.
@Stan lee you sound ike a wishful Cards fan.
The Orioles are anything but the Tigers from the previous year. The amount of young talent is way above what the Tigers possess at this point. It’s because the Orioles have had more draft success. The Orioles May not have improved leaps and bounds over the offseason so far but they have like previously mentioned a good amount of young talent that could be a huge part of this years team. And even more importantly, they haven’t overspent for free agents that were available.
Just thinking out loud so to speak.
LF – Happ
CF – Bellinger
RF – Suzuki
3B – Morel
SS – Swanson
2B – Hoerner
1B – Hosmer
C – Barnhart
DH – Mervis/Wisdom
That doesn’t seem terrible. At least 5 and possibly 6 bats above league average. Great defense up the middle.
But that’s the problem with the Cubs roster. They have zero depth, as soon as you move behind the starters there is absolutely nothing right now. You can’t rely on that many unproven prospects in a year and expect to win, it’s very unrealistic. They might be able to go on a streak or two, but they are so far away from being able to effectively compete for a full 162 game season.
My user name is in reference to Stan Lee of the Marvel variety, not Stan Musial.
Alzolay might be a solid closer. He looked really good at the end of 2022 after a long time off due to injury
Thor goes to Los Angeles sounds like a movie
The Cubs do not have an excess of potent bats but they are probably the deepest pitching staff in baseball at the moment. The lack a true ace (if it’s not Steele) but stroman, Hendricks, tallion, smyly, Thompson, alzolay, wicks, wesneski, Assad, Sampson, brown is some ridiculous depth.
For relievers, again, lacking a guy with a closing track record but Hughes, Thompson, wesneski, wick, boxburger, Heuer coming back at some point, man rod, brown, alzolay, Assad… it’s just decent to good arm after arm
None of the guys you listed are impact starters except maybe Stroman if he’s healthy. Quantity cannot replace quality in a starting rotation if you expect to win, having 10 average or worse starters is not going to give you better than third place regardless of how much “depth” you have.
Every single team in the majors can call up their entire AAA rotation and call it depth. Won’t make a lick of difference if they perform as replacement level players or worse.
Clearly your bias against the Cubs is showing. All the above for mentioned starters posted eras under four last season for the Cubs besides Hendricks who was fantastic with Gomes and horrendous with Contreras.. That depth no matter how your slice it.
In the second half, Steele was lights out. He pitched like an Ace after having a conversation with Lester about being more aggressive, second half he turned it up a notch and pitched to a sub 2 era with ridiculous strikeout numbers.
ERA+ for the last two years in which your starters listed were starters in the majors:
Stroman: 133, 117
Hendricks: 88, 86
Tallion: 100, 100
Smyly: 117, 91
Thompson: pen, 109
Alzolay: 92, pen
Wicks: pen, pen
Wesneski: cup of coffee
Assad: cup of coffee
Sampson: 1/2 year ~3 ERA
Brown: AA
This isn’t depth, your Cubs bias is showing. This is signing a few average starters and praying that a large batch of untested prospects can all succeed all at the same time and the few that have even a smidge of experience avoid a sophomore slump and don’t get figured out. Which is what happens to the majority of young pitching prospects. Their pitching situation is very weak and will be the reason they won’t move past third place.
A bench of Madrigal, McKinstry, Gomes, and either Mervis or Wisdom is a decent one. They could use a 4th OF with MLB experience added to that group.
If they have major injuries and have to dip into the minors they may issues, with Mastrobuoni(SP?) and Velazquez their next best IF and OF
The Cubs have 4 starters that were above average last season. Only Hendricks was not. Of them, only Steele could be called an “impact starter”. Depth in the rotation will be a big issue.
Don’t think you want Bellinger in the two spot… he’s an 8th 9th hitter at this point
How do u figure? The last 3 months of the season Steele was statistically like the 3rd best pitcher in all of the mlb. If that continues he is a true ace.
Gomes isn’t going to the bench and Wisdom will most likely be manning 3rd base.
I actually watched the Cubs and yes, I’m a fan but the least biased of all Cubs fans.
Hoyer has had an awful off-season, blown a ton of money and has hardly moved the needle. Yes, Swanson and Bellinger are improvements but they still don’t have a middle of the Order that will produce above league average. It’s a decent line up filled mostly of contact hitters with little power.
Tallion made little sense. A good pitcher but another middle of the rotation arm with little to no upside. Smyly made less sense after posting a great year, another little to no upside but a decent middle of the rotation pitcher. Hendricks is middle to lower if he doesn’t figure it out (he posted excellent numbers with Gomes behind the dish). I’m less bullish on stroman, another middle of the rotation starter where Steele has top of the rotation potential.
Regardless of your opinion, Wesneski and Thompson have solid 2/3 upside. Thompson has absolute confidence. Wesneski I’m not as high on, his stuff is fantastic but his control is questionable and I think if he cannot control his ridiculous slider, it will get him in trouble over time.
Brown is the most exciting prospect to me, his stuff since tommy J’s is electric.
Back to the topic on hand, Hoyer made the team better but not good enough to compete as a wild card. They needed Bell/Martinez/Abreu in a bad way to go along with Swanson and they needed at least someone with TOR upside as a starter. At current, the Cubs potential is 80 wins and that will require some “wins” from managing. Third best team in the division unless Brewers pitching goes down with injury then they may be able to sneak into the second slot.
Their “depth” won’t be an issue with guys like Thompson in the pen pitching long relief.
The Cubs pen is going to be their strength and will allow all the above mentioned guys to spot start and only have to give them 4 innings. Almost any pitcher can get through the order once with limited damage and being able to hand the ball off to Keegan or Wesneski or Alzolay is going to be key. Of course the Cubs will need to figure 7/8/9 out… presumable box and Hughes will be in the mix, then manny and heuer down the line.
Anyone who has Morel in the middle of the order clearly didn’t follow cubs baseball. The line up, most likely will be:
Hoerner
Suzuki
Swanson
Happ
*Mervis
Bellinger
*Hosmer
Wisdom
Gomes
I think Morel ends up in AAA but will be the first man up for depth purposes.
You have to admit this is a much improved lineup, an actual MLB calibur lineup!
@kidbryant: Except for 2016, the Cubs NEVER in the last 115 or so years have been better than ANYONE gave them credit for.
@Pads Fans Bellinger can’t hit 2 in that lineup.
The line up is greatly improved when you consider the Cubs got nothing offensively or defensively out of center field last year and nothing offensively out of first or second. Also, banning the shift should help Wisdom, Hosmer and Bellinger a little bit (based on hard contact probably a bit more in Wisdoms case) but it’s still nothing better than league average.
The issues I have is Nico has to play like he did last year and he isn’t a guy who takes walks. Much like Swanson, he’s going to be a guy who’s WAR will fluctuate quite a bit from year to year. Happ has to show he can hit consistently again and add some of his power back. I’ve always been a believer in Happ, a guy who always seems to over correct his issues though. Suzuki has to be a 25 home run guy who can drive in 80… he showed flashes last season but he also showed that he’s a guy who needs to cheat on a ml fastball and that leaves him susceptible to breaking pitches. Also, umpires have to call him fairly, he was the victim of some of the worst strike calls in baseball several times last season.
I expect the Cubs to have one of the best defenses in the league. Bellinger is a plus defender, Swanson is a reigning gold glove short stop, Nico is an absolute stud with the leather as well and grades out better at second, Happ reigning gold glove left fielder, Suzuki multiple gold gloves in Japan and Gomes is solid field general behind the plate.
First and third will be questions. Wisdom took a step back at third last season and Hosmer isn’t the best defensively at first.
Bellinger very well may b a downgrade offensively. Swanson is a gain, but some of that gain just makes up for loss of Contreas. Cubs have sine intriguing pitching, however they are far from deep and trail behind all the tier 1 rotations currently in MLB.
Apparently you didn’t follow the Cubs at all last season because they were terrible at center field. There is no way Bellinger downgrades their lack of production.
Contreras is addition by subtraction. Good bat, terrible handling a pitching staff. I would have loved the Cubs to re-sign as DH but his time behind the plate had to come to an end.
@Drask, Morel hit .235 with 16 HRs. That is better than Bellinger’s .210 19 HRs. Morel also has a 1.4 WAR to his 1.2 in 22 less games. That is less production or what you would call a downgrade.
And losing a 3.9 WAR Contreas and replacing him with 0.1 WAR is addition by subtraction? Yes they will b better defensively. My point was about the offense you said would b better. They got worse in CF statistically and worse at catcher. They gained at SS. But in no way have they offensively made vast improvements.
You didn’t watch the Cubs… Morels slash was almost completely skewed from his initial call up. His second half was horrendous and so was his defense in center field.
Yes, losing Contreras is addition by subtraction. Look at the Cubs era with Gomes vs Contreras. As a whole, the pitchers were a 1/2 run better, starting rotation in most cases was a run better.
I give Contreras all the credit in the world for what he was able to do, first time he put on catching gear was in the minors, but he doesn’t speak pitcher. The Cubs were happy to move on from Contreras and it’s not because they were cheap, it’s because the Cubs, now, understand the importance of pitcher catcher relationship as it relates to developing young pitching.
I was speaking of the lineup you said is greatly improved, not speaking of defensively. I know they ll more than likely b better defensively. Catcher they have gotten worse offensively, skewed or not Morel’s stats were better than Bellinger’s, who at this point offensively is just a player with name recognition until proven otherwise. At SS they have improved. Nothing about the lineup is greatly improved from an offensive standpoint and very well could b worse.
But again, you’re wrong because you think Morel is a center fielder. He isn’t. He played there and failed. Bellinger out produced the combined efforts of all our center fielders offensively, hits, home runs, doubles, stolen bases, rbis and runs.
Swanson will out produce Contreras with the bat, Hoerner will out produce Madrigal or anyone else at second. Hosmer is an upgrade from what the Cubs got out first base. Wisdom/Morel at third again is an upgrade from their lack of production they received.
The line up is greatly improved. Gomes is a productive hitter for a catcher, he isn’t Contreras but his production is fine. It would take a small miracle for Mervis not to outproduce Schwindel and Rivas at the plate.
Jed, give this guy a deadline to sign or move on. He can only be negotiating for playing time and length of contract.
Whether Morel was playing out of position is irrelevant, that is the production from last season being replaced. And in 150 extra ABs Bellinger could not produce as much WAR. It would be a slight gain at 1B if Hosmer were to sign, you re looking at roughly 10 HRs and a .270 BA. Wisdom, Morel, Hoerner played last year they re not added offensive production. The additions at this point are Barnhart, Bellinger, Swanson. Replacing Madrigal, Contreas, Reyes. They are slightly better at best. Only thing that would markedly improve their offense would b Bellinger finding his old ways. Yes the team has some intriguing talent but they are not significantly improved offensively. The key for them will be pitching, defense, and timely hitting.
My god you are ignorant… you do realize Morel played center fielder, third base, short stop, second base, and left right? So we are not “replacing” his production. We are replacing the production at center field which over 162 games and Bellinger out produced the Cubs center field position. Plain and simple.
You want to talk about Contreras… Contreras averages what? Less than 60 runs batting in per season? Big whoop. Some morons act like Contreras is a middle of the order bat, he isn’t.
You don’t watch the Cubs. I do. You want to talk about line up balance? Happ was the only guy last season to give us consistent at bats from the left side of plate. The line is GREATLY improved. Know baseball, or at least the team, before jumping into a conversation.
Looking at Fangraphs projections, every team but the Reds and Tigers are projected to have better collection of options for DH available.
Have him play left field for Texas. The other two guys in the outfield can make up for any potential defensive lapses.
Lol
He is basically free so no risk in bringing him in.
this is why im surprised the sox let him go? Cases is not proven yet…I get they needed roster space tho.
Roster space ? More like just the next dumb move Red Sox made. Pretty sure their gm is a yankee spy
Its his bad attitude which has followed him to every team he has been on. Why would you want somebody who will complain about playing time and not a good clubhouse presence? The redsox let him go because they are better without him then what he provides a team.
ARC 2 that is just not true.
Padre players lives Hosmer and still talk about Joe great of a teammate he was.
Where did you get the idea that he was a bad teammate?
The Padres players nearly revolted in 2021 when talk first started about trading Hosmer.
I think you are exaggerating a bit there. A couple of the leaders were outspoken against moving Hosmer in the 2021-2022 offseason, but not to the point of a revolt.
Dear Jed Hoyer—-No .please no—we would rather have the ghost of Bill Buckner at 1b then Hosmer.
From Cubs fans everywhere.
Buckner had a pretty except for that muck up in the World Series. A shame the one play defined his career.
Buckner was very good as a Dodger to be sure.
Agreed. I loved Billy Buckner when he was a Cub. Even though he had two bad legs and is dead, I still would play him over Hosmer. Hell, I would rather have Ronnie Woo-Woo at 1B then Hosmer.
Buckner
Over 2700 hits with 0.289 average
174 HRs and 183 SBs
1077 runs and 1208 RBIs
NL Batting Title in 1980 and All-Star in 1981
From 1972 to 1982 (11 years) Buckner hit over 0.300 in 7 of those 11 years
What an intelligent discourse you have provided by insulting me because you have a different opinion.
Eric Hosmer is just another version of Frank Schwindel or Mike Olt type of placeholder. Might as well go get Larry Biittner or Richie Hebner back, along with Matt Stairs.
Hebner and Biittner..two of my faves. Went to see the Tigers play the White Sox at the old Comiskey one night mainly to see Hebner. Harold Baines hit three HRs the last one being a salami to dead center.
What a travesty that Reinsdorf had that park torn down.
Leave Matt Stairs outta this! The boy could rake!
@the natural:
The travesty isn’t the old park being torn down, the true travesty is that the Taxpayers are paying to build and maintain Reinsdorfs new park.
Good ol’ Ronnie Woo-Woo!
It really only defined his career in the minds of the media and the casual fan base. Buckner was a very good first baseman for a long time back in the day. He verges on the Hall of the Very Good over his career in that era. Plus, he had a great porn stache…
Agree- sick and tired of casual fans who never saw Buckner play deride him because of that one play. Sheep will be sheep.
Yes they will, in everything in life atm.
I really don’t get this sentiment. Buckner made an error that cost them the World Series. Hosmer’s fielding percentage as a first baseman is right at the league average. Are we talking about speed or range here for this comparison?
Degrom, the error was McNamara’s. Billy Buck was a borderline HOF player who had to get shots in both ankles every game and ice before and after each game. If it wasn’t for his August and September in 86, there would not have been the Henderson heroics against the Angels never mind the brutal ending to the WS. Also remember the Sox had a lead in game seven early when Evans homered so how can you say it was Buckner who lost the series? I also still blame Gedman as much or more than Stanley for the WP that in my book was a PB.
I have no clue. I watched MLB Network when I had it. I wasn’t even born at that time.
Horrible sequence. I give Mookie credit for hopping out of the way. But yeah, Buckner had literally nothing to do with the loss.
@dewey: Two problems with the Red Sox in ’86: Schiraldi and Stanley stunk, and the Red Sox were destined to choke. They always did pre-2004, so something had to happen.
Oh my god. Please Elias, just say no. I’d have rather kept Lewin Diaz. I’d rather play a small child at first. I’d rather the position just be completely empty and the fielders have to run the ball over to get an out. I’m vibing with that Michael Scott “no” gif right now. Don’t make me into a Nationals fan. That’d just be awkward with this user name
Unless Baltimore is planning to move the RF fences back like they did in LF Hosmer still has enough pop to hit a few HRs in that ballpark, and he still has a good glove at 1B which should help the rest of the IF for the O’s. Boston just needed the roster spot for other players. As it is they’re still trying to decide what moves to make to open 2 more roster spots to finalize the Justin Turner and Corey Kluber deals.
Mountcastle 2022 DRS & UZR/150 respectively comes in a 1 and 0.7
Hosmer 2022 DRS & UZR/150 respectively comes in at -5 and -7.9
Mountcastle total fWAR 20-22 is 2.9
Hosmer total fWAR 20-22 is 1.7
Plus, Hosmer is a douchebag. If we’re playing has beens for team chemistry give me back the guy that punches douchebags in the face
Don’t use either version of WAR for 1B. Neither has any component for catching the ball thrown to them and that is what is the most important part of a 1B job. They do that 10 times as much as chances at balls in play off the bat.
fWAR also uses UZR for defense and that is not accurate since it both rewards players for out of zone plays when in the shift and penalizes the player that would be expected to be in that zone if there was no shift. The last 8-10 years that has affected 1B disproportionately compared any other position when a 2B, SS, or even 3B was shifted into their zone against LHB
Hosmer is not a bad defensive 1B. He is also not a good one anymore. He is about league average over the last 2 seasons at making plays on balls in play according to OAA.
The most important part of a 1B job is catching throws from IF and turning them into outs. Hosmer used to be at the top of the charts in terms of scoops and outs on errant throws along with Rizzo. Now he is average or slightly below.
Mountcastle is a RHB and Hosmer is a LHB. I think they can co-exist and make the team better.
Hosmer was a great clubhouse guy, so not sure why you would even think he is a douchebag. Projection? .
Hosmer has pop to hit homers to all fields everywhere (including LF in Baltimore). He’s 88th perncetile exit velocity, he just spikes the ball into the dirt with a 3.2% average launch angle.
In 2022, of 205 batters with at least 400 PA, Hosmer had the 4th lowest launch angle, surrounded by center fielders.
The guy should be a quality slugger but he can’t get the ball in the air. So he hopes on lucky breaks on BABIP instead.
I would bet everything I own that Hosmer ain’t hitting balls out to left. It’s 400 hundo plus.
333 down the line and 384 straightaway LF.
He’s a LHB so you should be looking at RF.
Orioles offered a few small children a decent contract but Steve Cohen promised them the whole Disney Empire.
Orioles do not need a dick in the clubhouse.
What kind of real Orioles fan would ever consider becoming a nats fan or even joke about it???
Wouldn’t really become a Nats fan. Too many other good teams. But this off season has been a joke and shows me that until the team is sold, they will never do what it takes to actually compete.
OK. Was worried about you for a minute.
It is the Dawn of the Orioles window, this off-season won’t ruin any of the very bright future!
Also, Mike Elias has done remarkable work, he deserves our faith.
All the changes came w/ the Ownership signing off on it; International training complex, International scouting (something the pre-Mike Elias ownership group Never did anything with!!), moved FO from paper-and-pencil analytics to Quantum Computing, and drafts filled w/ players working out (a Massive step forward from years of Meh draft classes).
Success of club is not related to FA signings. (After all, Odor himself didn’t make the Orioles a winning club last year)
Adley can’t carry the whole team all year. Gotta build around him. This was the year to start and the fact that our additions have been Gibson and Frazier with anything better on the horizon very unlikely…that’s not a formula for success. I think Elias has done a great job but if I had to speculate, he is learning that he never would actually have a reasonable budget to work with. My guess is that he is out as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Why would he want to work for such a cheap organization? Hosmer? Really?
I don’t know what the orioles could’ve done besides signing a SP. Rodon’s contract was way higher than we’d go for a health question mark.
We could’ve been in on a Heaney, Bassitt, or Eflin but those deals weren’t exactly value. I expect next offseason a pitcher will be brought in if we don’t make a deal between now and then.
Patience and development is what’s needed right now. We were ahead of schedule last year.
The FA market is, well, a market. There are 30 teams trying to get FA’s, and the FA has to want to sign for with the team.
I don’t know who you’d have had the Orioles spend money on, other than top SP. Aside from DeGrom, Verlander, or Rodon, there was nobody the Orioles really “needed”.
Who would you have signed? And how do you get from not spending money in offseason, all the way too Mike Elias is gone? Cheap ownership, vs, competitive Free Agent market w/ few “needs” for the Orioles…and you tilt at ownership being cheap? I dunno brah.
It’s untrue the Orioles “Never did anything with” international scouting. They were not very successful, but did sign Schoop, EdRodriguez, Ponson as well as Wei Yin Chen and a lot of failures, e.g. Jomar Reyes, Dariel Alvarez, Hyun Soo Kim, Tsuyushi Wada, Henry Urrutia.. They also had the debacle in Korea that led to their scouts being expelled from the country. That last incident pretty much shut the door on the Orioles international involvement under Duquette.
We didn’t have the infrastructure to be competitive in the Latin American market. Peter Angelos didn’t believe in the dealings down there & thought it was ripe with corruption.
That severely hurt our ability to develop a minor league pipeline. Elias has been granted the ability to set that up. Duke couldn’t but I believe we have a top 5 GM in baseball now & are in such a better spot. just isn’t fair to blame Duke for that. He had no ability to compete down there.
The current Baltimore ownership knows a certain segment of fans will be loyal regardless of what they do on the field. They had a golden opportunity to really advance this off season and they whiffed.
You can say that but there is a finite number of pitchers. When you need one, it takes what it takes. We don’t have many SP prospects.
@ BStrowman
True, true. It even goes before that too McPhail, and Johnson. And yeah, there are exceptions to the O’s Intl. system, but as a whole, it’s been thubbbt, statisticly speaking lol.
Peter vs. John Angeleos is a better lens, imo. Peter never invested in International, but as soon as John had sway, it was flooded w/ resources.
I think it gets missed that Orginzations are dynamic, and past actions aren’t always indicative of future actions. And John, not Peter, seems to have lead to a new actions/habits. Idk
I think all Orginzations know that; from Facebook, to Soft Drinks brands, or political parties and religions.
Other then deGrom, I don’t think there is a FA that Baltimore should have gotten/tried for.
The off-season is only partially about FA’s. It’s also about trades, and the Orioles have a ton of Chips for that portion of the off-season. (It’s not a statement about Prospect capital, as much as it is about MLB talent that is still controlable. Other than Adley and Gunner, who else on the team need to be kept? Minor league depth makes controlable (cost/year) MLB players very mailable!
Hold on to your hats Baltimore fans, I think there’s a big trade in the mix.
O’sSayCanYouSee
I don’t get all the complaints about the Orioles this offseason from what are supposed to be their fans.
The O’s are pretty much in line with Cleveland’s (on the fly) rebuild, although the O’s are a year behind them. Last offseason Cleveland made no major moves. They won a weak division, swept the Rays in the playoffs and took the Yankees to the full 5 games. This year they’ve made two moves thus far: 1) They signed Josh Bell as they needed a RH bat at 1B when Josh Naylor sits against RH pitchers (they’ll also DH Bell some); and 2) They dumped both of their catchers and signed 92 year-old Mike Zunino to be the primary catcher….hoping rookie Bo Naylor is ready to do some catching at the ML level in 2023. Meanwhile, they won with the youngest team in MLB in 2022 – most of those players are going to get better – and they have more in the high minors that will be up in 2023.
MLB is not rotisserie baseball. There isn’t a draft each year to build teams, followed by a bunch of trades. Small market teams need to have most of their roster being within the 6 years of control. And they need to bring their young players along. The Orioles were my favorite ream to watch in 2023 once Adley got called up. They play smart, solid fundamental baseball. They fizzled out at the end, which is to be expected as many of their players hadn’t played that many games in a season. The coaching staff built one of the best bullpens in MLB out of the waiver wire and DFA’s. That’s how strong bullpens are built – by coaching staffs – not by paying exorbitant salaries to FA’s or trading for veterans that finally had a good year. Teams need to be self-sufficient – meaning they bring their own players along – pitchers and position players. Making multiple trades by giving up 3 quality prospects with over 15 years of control remaining for a veteran with 1-3 years of control – or maybe none – along with a higher salary is a good way to undermine the entire rebuild the Orioles did. In 3 years most of their youngsters will be far better than any older guys they bring in.
They have one of the best FO’s on MLB. One of the top coaching staffs both major and minor league in MLB, as well as one of the top managers. All those people know exactly what they’re doing. The fact that Orioles starters got better as 2022 moved along should be a sign to their fans that they are building a pitching factory. This isn’t a computer game. Pitchers are human beings, they have to be brought along. Palmer, Boddicker, Tippy Martinez, Dennis Martinez, Barber, Flanagan, Mussina, Pappas, Cuellar, McNally – those pitchers weren’t traded for, they were developed. Don’t you know your teams history?
I’ve felt all along that this offseason that the starting pitchers that were available were too expensive for small market teams, both in salaries and in prospects via trade. The Orioles FO isn’t allowing the money to burn a hole in their pockets. They can save that money and as the 2023 season unfolds and they’ll sort out all the youngsters they have and who fits where. If they need another starting pitcher they can make a trade during the season with a team that’s fallen out of contention and pay the remaining prorated salary. Until then all they have to do is stay in the race.
Looks like you will be waiting a while then, because John and Georgia don’t want to sell. They made it that clear in September that they hired Goldman Sachs to explore ways to buy out Louis by taking on a minority owner.
Louis is the one trying to force a sale and he is a real piece of work. Georgia, John and Louis’ Mom and Peter’s attorney-in-fact, met with MLB in July to reiterate that Louis was “unsuitable as the control person for the team.” She subsequently sued Louis for “breach of fiduciary duty, financial exploitation of Peter, an older and susceptible adult, and conversion” because he sold his father’s law firm to himself for an undetermined amount rumored to be $1. In December, Georgia and John met with Manfred in San Diego and again said they have no intention of selling or moving the team.
Louis’ case is not due to be heard until July 2023, but Georgia’s case had its first hearing Dec 13th and legal experts say that since the law firm was part of Peter’s trust, she will regain control of it and can force Louis out as the head of firm.
If Peter passes away it will be interesting to see what Georgia does. .
Samuel —
Yeah man, we’re about 90% on the same page here.
But come on man, of COURSE I know my teams history! But since the last developed homegrown SP was who, Bedard? (still have Eric Bedard jersey too, lol) Arrieta and Gausman are clear ‘misses’ from a development standpoint. (And yes, looks like the Orioles are now developing pitching again, that’s a Huge improvement! But none of them will be a Verlander or deGrom…in the next 2-3 years.)
Just saying, the Orioles have the cash and the need for a major Frontline starter. Absent one currently on the squad, why not buy one? (Personally I’d have loved Verlander to teach Grayson all the tricks!!)
The Orioles have plenty of money. No single loopy 2022 contract would 86 any of the team prospects.
I hope they spend on Adley.
Always good.
@Pads
Oh yeah, the Orioles ownership drama is first rate!!
It’s like a real life version of ‘Succesion’ meets ‘Dallas’.
When you look up shyster lawyer in the dictionary, there is a photo of Louis Angelos.
Problem is money isn’t always enough. You have to sell what you are trying to do and when you hope to accomplish it when you are talking to a future Hall of Famer (Verlander) or just a staff ace with lots of options (deGrom). The Rangers hiring Bruce Bochy probably helped sway deGrom to Texas. Would he be a Ranger right now if Woodward was still the Manager?. Verlander went to a team that won 101 games and has shown a willingness to spend ridiculous amounts of money. Rodon went to the Yankees after spending most of his career on “rebuilding” White Sox teams. If the Orioles continue to improve in the standings the more appealing they will look in free agency
Have you ever seen photos of him? Slicked back hair, ambulance chaser vibe. He tried to steal his father’s law firm and his own mother had to sue him. “Louis Angelos also claims to have sold himself the firm, at a price to be determined later, through a promissory note.” A judge invalidated that sale.
The other owners refused to approve him as control person for the Orioles in 2019-2020 offseason. Now he is persona non grata at Camden Yards.
Mike Cuellar absolutely was TRADED for. So was Tippy Martinez. Cuellar, “Don’t you know your teams history?” Obviously you do not.
The Orioles under Andy MacPhail expanded their presence in the Dominican Republic Summer League to two teams. Upon his hiring in 2011, Dan Duquette pledged that he would ramp up international efforts.
The DOJ agrees that the process of signing players from the Caribbean is rife (not “ripe”) with corruption. But Angelos did invest in building an international pipeline prior to the Kim Seong-Min scandal. Seems fair to blame Dook for that. Only after that scandal did the Orioles step away.
Why do you say he’s a dick? From all accounts, he’s a great clubhouse leader. At least that’s what they said when he came over from KC years ago. Something change?
Becoming a Nats fan??!! Not something to even joke about. Dunno any Orioles fans that would say that in in joking. Boo to that thought
Making you a Nationals fan? That would just make you a fool.
I would rather gambled on Moustakas, but I would be satisfied with Hosmer
Heck Orioles should sign both
Both are lottery tickets
Reunite em in small market Baltimore ? Love it !
Moustakas got 18 mill to play for the Reds next season.
Mikey, he’s getting paid but was released and any team signing him owes the veteran’s minimum.
The Moose is loose and you can have him.
As a Jays fan, you guys really have no use for either of these guys. Red Sox and Reds cast offs has beens aren’t something you need.
But if you do sign them, I’ll appreciate the help.
Absolutely. Someone else is footing the bill and if they don’t cut it in spring ball, just release them.
No clear DH for the Orioles? Have they never heard of Anthony Santander?
Santander will play RF.
Stowers gonna get a lot Reps in OF too, before Cowser comes up later in the season. Plus there’s Frenchie, and McKenna. OF/DH options abound.
Oh yeah, Adam Frazier too for OF reps.
Probably will get more starts at DH than RF. You don’t follow the Orioles it appears.
Such a Homer, Red lol
Santander can play RF
Who would start if Santander DH’d
Stowers will play. Hays will play RF while Vavra gets a few looks in LF. Frazier will probably play some LF too.
There’s options. We’ll definitely see some platooning this year.
Jed I think offer Eric Hosmer a 3 year contract @ 90 Million total payoff will get. Get it done Jed If you need Tommy R can help
I want Mertz to have the ability to win a starting job as 1B or DH in Spring Training.
But I am open to the Cubs considering Hosmer at the league minimum salary.
1 Hoerner 2B
2 Suzuki LF
3 Swanson SS
4 Happ RF
5 Mertz 1B-DH
6 Hosmer 1B-DH
7 Wisdom 3B
8 Bellinger CF
9 Gomes/Barnhart C
Super-sub Morel
That lineup isn’t scaring anyone, Hosmer or no.
It could use some more power, but, the up the middle defense will be exceptional. I’m sure that a soon to be 36 year old Goldschmidt won’t be showing any sighs of aging and Nolan Arenado won’t be constantly thinking about how much money he could have gotten if he just would have exercised his option.
Who is Mertz? Do you mean Mervis?
Kid
Yes, my typo, Mervis not Mertz.
True, that lineup is not scaring too many. Orioles are better overall than Cubs. But I think Cubs have a shot at winning their division in 2023 and Orioles do not. Yankees and Blue Jays are better than Cardinals and Brewers. Brewers just shipped out Renfroe and Wong. Cubs 39-31 after the 2022 All-Star break and 16-6 in the last 22 games. PCA, Davis, Alcantara and Hernandez en route over the next 3-4 years.
I thought Fred Mertz and Ricky Ricardo joined the club.
I suppose anything is possible considering varying factors. However, the Cubs winning their division, with their present roster, is more than hope with fingers crossed.
The Cubs 2nd half record is near irrelevant in that the said weak NL Central will now be playing the entire league equally. And as usual, Cards fans are as spoiled with their past success as Cubs fans are delusional with theirs.
At any rate, with all things being equal, the Cardinals are still the clear favorite – like it or not.
The fact that Cubs will be playing more games against NL East and NL West does not change the fact that they just have to edge Central teams for division. It does make wild card race tougher. 87 games make win Central in 2023.
@MannyBeingMVP
Wrong. 87 games DOES NOT make win Central in 2023. The Cubs have ZERO shot of beating the Cardinals and probably won’t even beat the Brewers.
Go back to your diddling.
@Holy Cow!
Good one, bozo. I hope your team signs Hosmer.
Hey! I am a clown.
I also like the over-confidence of a buffoon who thinks the Cubs have ZERO shot of beating the Cardinals.
Absolutely zero shot. Bad team with or without Hosmer. Sorry.
Oh, well. Happy New Year!
Ethel…
Is that Fred or Ethel at first?
Honestly that’s pretty much how the lineup would shape up. I agree, Hosmer would be a decent addition. Milwaukee didn’t get better so St. Louis is the only big dog in a very weak NL Central.
As a fan I would love to see them play the best player they have at 1B-Mervis. However I know Hoyer will keep him down to get the extra year if he can’t lock him up through his arbitration years which I hope is still realistic. Bellinger, Wisdom can also play 1st which is making me wonder why this is even a thing. They are only 19 million below the tax for this year but as first time payers it wouldn’t be much but might keep them from re signing players for the future. Like I said they have another 80-90 million that can come off the books next year, Heyward(24), Stroman(22), Bellinger(17), Hendricks(14), Happ(11) give or take a few million in buyouts and also depending on who they decide to keep around. Just saying. The longer they can wait to start the Tax mess, the better.
I can’t believe how Cubs fans are so easily swayed by prospects. Nervous Mervis might be just another guy. Sure, he’s coming off a great season in the minors, but we all know it’s a crapshoot. If the Cubs truly want to contend in ’23, they can’t count on a rookie. Although I wouldn’t sign Hosmer either to be honest.
Maybe if you actually watched him play like we have you’d get it. The great thing about the Cubs having their own TV station is they put on a ton of Minor League games. And if that doesn’t float your boat if you have the MLB package you get the Minor League package for $25 bucks extra and stream most of the games. Watch first, Then talk. You might be enlightened.
I would sign Hosmer because if Mervis plays well, and he will get plenty of opportunities, then Hosmer is cheap to jettison.
Hoerner absolutely must be extended. Besides another few FA signings, that should be their priority. Him and Happ.
Is rather the cubs sign Trey Mancini.
Padres had him for parts of five years, and got an aggregate of 3.7 BWAR, for which they have/will pay nearly $140M. Few baseball deals were this bad. He’s a 1WAR player now, getting older, maybe capable of a hot month or so, but wow.
There are PLENTY of worse contracts in baseball history than Hosmer’s! Just ask Chris Davis …
And Josh Hamilton, and there are others, but Hosmer’s is very bad
Hosmer was over-compensated as the first real free agent SD signed.
James Shields was a pretty real signing for them
That deal was stupid when it was signed. I don’t remember anyone thinking it was a great signing. We all knew it wasnt gonna age well.
This is precisely why I wish fans didn’t know player salaries. It’s nobody’s business except the owner and the player. Hosmer put up average stats the past few years, but all the amateur accountants around here think he was horrible because he wasn’t living up to his salary.
Hosmer gets paid the same if he sits at home or plays. I see him hanging them up.
The only thing Hosmer would provide for the Orioles is a proven backup at 1B. I’d rather use McCann or Rutchsman to backup Mountcastle, DH Santander every day and roll the dice on Stowers and Vavra until Cowser is ready. I don’t think Hosmer’s bat adds anything at this point.
I would rather see the Orioles bring back Trey Mancini than sign Hosmer.
I loved Trey but he’s too expensive for the O’s unfortunately. I just wish the O’s would spend to lock up Adley and some kids before we see a $500MM contract being offered by the Mets that resets the market again.
Lock up Gunnar. Probably better to get what you can from a Catcher before he gets old and take the pick when he walks on his QO.
Mancini and Hosmer would both detract from the team.
Hoz might be alright for a look. Mountcastle can’t be the only 1B. Santander could potentially get those too. It’s a free roll on Hoz at the league minimum. I’d be fine with it but don’t expect much. Beats having Tyler Nevin soak up abs should an injury occur.
Then pay the minimum to Stowers, Vavra or Westburg or just about anybody if you need to cover ABs during injury. Clogging the roster with Hosmer – who has not hit well for a 1B since his KC days in 2017 – is akin to re-signing Odor or Aguilar. Hosmer is an aging defensive liability whose biggest asset is that his huge salary is being paid by other teams. The roster spot would be better filled by an athletic, versatile player with room to grow. I can’t imagine starting both Frazier and Has-beenmer on the right side of the infield while letting the minor league talent die on the vine.
Cubs 1B in 2022 had an 86 OPS+.
MLB 1B had an average of a 107 OPS+.
Hosmer had a 108 OPS+.
As of today 31 year old Wisdom is penciled in at 1B. He had a 102 OPS+ last season.
Mervis was an undrafted FA after being a 4 year senior at Duke and is going into his age 25 season. He has not played a game in the majors yet. I don’t think he has even played a game in major league camp in spring training yet. He has rocketed up the minor leagues in 2021-2022, but in no way does that mean he is ready to take over 1B in the majors. He is not even on the 40 man roster yet.
Hosmer is a proven above average hitter and will cost the minimum.
If Mervis comes into major league camp and impresses then he gets a roster spot and Hosmer backs him up at 1B for the major league minimum. If not, the Cubs have an above average hitter at 1B for the major league minimum. This is not a hard decision.
He’s still a pretty good player and cheap with the Padres picking up the majority of his salary. I would be surprised if he didn’t get a chance with someone.
Rays could use hosmer
Simon,
Am I reading it right? Boston only became responsible for the minimum yet I read the story the opposite way).
Unclemike wake up! Unclemike wake up! Cmon wake up from this nightmare!
Unless the Cubs are convinced that Mervis is another year away this is a click bait story because trolls love stories that have Cubs in the headlines.
Even though the Cubs need to become more left handed per Jed, if Mervis is going to contribute (or be given the chance) it makes little sense to add another left handed hitting first baseman especially when another option is Bellinger, also left handed.
Offensively, they have enough Hosmer like, mediocre choices already to occupy a DH spot..
The only point that Hosmer can bring is that he is at the league minimum but would cost another 40 man spot at least until the date when players (Roberts/Canario among them) can placed on the 60 day IL.
Not sure of the rules—if he can be invited as a non roster invitee—fine, but if he’s considered major league and takes up a roster spot—no thanks.
Yeah the roster spot is the other part of the equation that I don’t see the cubs doing this. The price is right though! They should be fine going with what they have in house for now. Now if we get that spot where the guys can be moved back to the 60-day and he’s still available. He’d be worth signing then.
Clickbait? Lotta smoke so far between the Homser, Smith, and Abreu stories over the past few months. They almost certainly are considering adding a 1B.
Dark—-I tried to qualify my statement. I agree with you, yes, the Cubs are looking at first basemen…especially with this week’s DFA of both Rivas and Higgins BUT unless they don’t think Mervis is ready Hosmer doesn’t make sense…he’s not a platoon situation player with Mervis, he’s not a good enough offensive, nor defensive player to interchange at DH with anyone and really isn’t good enough to sacrifice a 40 man spot with anybody.
His only plus is the minimum salary requirement.
I’d buy in more if the headline said “Mancini”. That gives a natural platoon with Mervis (if they believe he can make the jump).
My gut says he goes with “mystery team.”
You would think Hosmer would prioritize finding a club with a smaller park he could actually hit some home runs in…..
Why wouldn’t he fit in Colorado?
Cubs bullpen as of today:
Alzolay- RH Closer
Hughes-LH closer
Estrada -Future closer-maybe now
Boxberger
Heuer- June
Jensen-?
Leiter Jr- He was decent short man last year
Rodriguez- iffy
Rucker- ok
Thompson- long man
Wick- Not my favorite
Host of young guys- ?
I would still think that money spent on a bad 1B would be better spent on a decent arm like Chafin.
Hosmer costs 700,000 for a year
Chafin will cost 8-9 million on a 2-3 year contract
I would like both. Of course, Chafin would be the most important get, bring back the Sheriff.
Chafin and Alzolay as co-closers would be good
He’s pretty much free. Why not? If he sucks then you just dump him.
I don’t know what planet you guys live on, But the Veterans minimum salary for 2022 is 4.41 million and it’s sure to increase especially with all the money being thrown around. he would have to be paid at least that if he makes the team. Still want him?
If you are correct, that would change my view. I am assuming that Cubs would only be responsible for the major league minimum salary of $720,000.
@Unclemike1526. The minimum MLB salary in 2023 is 720k. I don’t know where you came up with 4.41 million except that was the average mlb salary in 2022
That’s not accurate. League minimum is 700 k. That’s what the cubs would pay.
The League minimum is 700. The VETERANS minimum is 4.41 million which HOSMER IS. He’s a VETERAN. WAKE UP!
If he signs a minor league deal with an invite to ST they can pay him whatever they want. HE STILL THINKS HE’S GOOD so he’s waiting for a ML deal which I wouldn’t give him on a bet. They don’t need him around as he takes AB’s away from real players. He’s stunk for multiple years. I just have no idea why you people want him around especially since he’s a clubhouse problem from what I’ve heard. Please stop.
You are incorrect.
@Unclemike1526 Just scroll down to retained salary.
spotrac.com/mlb/boston-red-sox/payroll/
@unclemike-Never heard of this before and just google searched for it but nothing… I guess it only exists in clown minds?
Lol his salary is paid by the padres minus the league minimum and there’s no such thing as a veterans minimum.
We aren’t in the NBA!
I assume you have used Google and figured out you were completely wrong? Thanks for the the cap lock mature response.
Well I’ll admit I was wrong. I swore at one time there was a clause in the CBA for a veterans minimum salary. Maybe it doesn’t apply to guys who are making more from other teams. IDK. I don’t care if you pay him 50,000 a year, He’d be overpaid. I just hope he signs somewhere else so I don’t have to hear his name anymore. Just hearing it and I start to gag. Apologies to all.
There is no veterans minimum period.
That’s why you see vets making all different salaries. 800K, 1.5MM. Doesn’t matter. Minimum is the same for all.
Hosmer will likely experience an offensive uptick with the shift rule–he hits many grounders to the right side. But he is a terrible defender. Just awful.
Why?
My question exactly. Well said Henry!
Hosmer and Moustakas were always fun to watch play side by side on the Royals together. Both are former shells of themselves now. Hosmer is still a nice depth piece to a team looking to get a cheap first basemen that can still put up decent enough numbers to not be DFAd
Right up the do nothing Orioles ally. This team will do absolutely nothing all winter except miniscule moves like adding a guy for next to nothing. I said back in October they would do nothing all winter and so far that’s all I see.
If I was him I would be looking for some place overseas to play. You’re getting paid no matter what and you already have a ring, so why not get paid big money to get to play in/ travel around Japan or something. And you’ll probably end up being one of the best players in whatever league you play in. It’s not like he’s going to be getting picked up by a WS contender.
Man, that really excites the teams and their fans.
They both must really need someone that grounds out to second five times a game.
I’d be ok with if it means our #7 hitter is getting 5 at bats a game!
The Cubs should pass let someone young get the At-bats
The Cubs should pick up Hosmer and use him as a lefty DH and an emergency/spot starter at first base if Mervis struggles or gets injured. He’s always made good contact and has cut down on his strikeouts over the years and his OBP will play and without the shift, those numbers should get better. The Cubs are known for having a great clubhouse and if Hosmer is a problem clubhouse guy, I think he would get with the program. If you need a right-handed bat in the lineup facing a lefty, put Wisdom at first and Morel at 3rd and DH Mervis and use Hosmer as the first Lefty pinch hitter off the bench in late inning situations. We’ve got about eight good starters now so, there is plenty of pitching that can trickle down into strengthening middle and late inning relief pitching. I think the Cubs with this one last move have a very solid and competitive roster. There’s your solution, and I hope you’re listening Jed. Now let’s go win the division Cubbies!
I would rather have Mancini due to him being a righty but Hosmer is a good backup plan until Mervis gets acclimated to the big leagues.
The Jays could use a lefty bat to DH/backup 1B plus he’s available at league minimum if I read correctly. Good character guy to help lead as well.
I don’t buy that good character guy thing with him. I feel like that’s a narrative to make up for his lack of on field production with some sort of other intangible value.
I think he could be a good cub. With the shift rules this season. And the schedule going totally out of whack. I think hosmer could total still bring production to the table.
Hosmer is bad, but he can EASILY provide plus value at league minimum pay. Easy decision to take a chance on him with the shift rule coming, dude could be a legitimate .290 hitter that will give you a professional at bat every time.
I can remember a few years back when the Cubs were a large-market team….
Cubbies bound.
The O’s franchise is looking better and better with Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal behind it. To take DFA’d guys, gave them playing time and are now trade targets – smart move by Mike and Sig. Hoping Mike and Sig can get the O’s back into contention every year – as an O’s fan, when hope springs eternal… but it is looking optimistic with the farm system in place – Grayson Rodriguez coming up this year – I would prefer to see the O’s get another consistent solid innings guy if the decimal is right – if not, the farm should show another one ready to go that’s waiting for an opportunity. As far as Hosmer, I would rather see Mountcastle keep getting opportunities to play that position – and they can bring up someone from within and rotate the DH slot with who they have already on the roster. It’ll be an interesting year for the O’s and O’s fans. Looking forward to see what happens with a full year of some of these top prospects on the big league roster.
O’s are up and coming, I hope their FO doesnt muck it up. Their fan base deserves quality after so many years wandering the wasteland.
A 108 OPS+ hitter going to a division rival of a team that cut him would play really well. Hosmer would be a good, cheap fit and allow Mountcastle to focus on hitting.
Doesn’t cost much to kick the tires on this one.
Hosmer should be on several teams’s radar as he is essentially free offense if he hits and costs absolutely nothing to release if he doesn’t
Hosmer, at the league minimum, was RELEASED AND NOT IMMEDIATELY PICKED UP/APPROACHED/PURSUED. I think, more than anything, that says so much.
He was a clubhouse favorite in San Diego. Obviously not for his play, but his off the field friendships. There is much said about San Diego’s distractions off the field. Trevor Bauer’s accuser used to be a San Diego Padre employee (Clevinger and Ringworm Jr. both knew her well), not a coincidence!
He was designated for assignment 2 weeks ago, no one wanted to give up anyone in trade, and was released 8 days ago, free to sign with any team. Who’s to say he wasn’t approached or pursued?
Cubs fans hoping the Orioles win this battle.
Orioles fan here, really hoping the Cubs win this battle.
Releasing Jayson Heyward was probably the best MLB move out of all moves of 2022. Now they want Hosmer. The sCrUBS got it going on!
Whoever signs Hos it will be like they won the lottery, for ten cents.
No, it will be like they won ten cents, for a penny. Low cost but rather limited upside. No one is talking about keeping him for more than a year at more than the league minimum. At DH, if the choices are Hosmer, Madrigal, Morel and Velasquez, then we can take a look during Spring Training. Mervis does not have the pedigree where the FO will hold him back if he is ready on day one, so I expect Mervis to be at 1B.
Who would you rather have, Eric Hosmer or Yuli Gurriell?
Too bad everybody is busting Hosmer’s chops. He was always a good teammate in SD and he’s a.270 hitter. Just did not live up to the expectations of the mega contract. Friars are financing a serviceable player for any team for the next 3 years and there is debate about where he will go? Last time I checked the Friars have a need at 1B. Bring him back and apologize for public embarrassment he’s had to deal with
Padres have too many players and too few positions. Someone else could easily step up and play first base.
I don’t think they want him back after he failed to make a trade happen.
I can’t believe we just released him. Bloom better have a plan at first base because if he doesn’t and we falter, this looks really bad.
I still say he was a better option over Dalbec at this point.
Casas/Dalbec platoon I think is what they will do
Dalbec can’t really hit so Hosmer is far better in that regards
Where’s the Royals on this? Surely they aren’t allergic to ticket sales while they figure this team out.
Looks promising? If I was a Cubs fan, I would hope by promising it would mean he was going somewhere else.
Well Heyman is saying that so take it with a grain of salt.
Not a good signing if Cubs get him.
Well onto Moustakas for the Orioles.
He is more versatile anyway
One man’s trash is a Cub
Huh? Moustakas can suck just as much as Hosmer at more positions?
I don’t buy that, Irv (Ra)
Plus, what is league minimum, Moose is a lottery ticket
74OPS+ last season, 68 OPS+ in 2021 for Moustakas. That’s worse than Hosmer (108, 104). A lot worse.
I’d rather pay a minor leaguer the minimum salary than have has-been Moustakas clogging the roster.
And, who is Irv?
Hahaha Irv is the Police Mechanic in The French Connection
And it is a line from the movie
I thought it might have been a movie line but I did not know it. Guess I need to watch The French Connection.
It might be free on demand
It is about three quarters in
When they are looking over the car for drugs
btw, since the moment I learned the Red Sod Sox had released Hosmer, I expected Elias would sign him. But I really hope the Orioles do not sign either one.
So, how’s this work? San Diego is paying him. He chooses the team?
Pretty much. Whoever signs him will pay him minimum wage while the Padres cover the rest.
It’s just a matter of him choosing where to play.
Yes. Or chooses not to play. Gets paid either way.
A year at Wrigley would be awesome. If I was a player, I think I’d want that. Especially if I already had the ring and money.
I’m liking the Cubs now. They are definitely in the running for a Wildcard spot.
Happy New Year’s Day to all of you baseball fans. I’d welcome this move if it happens. He’s had a decent career and he can add veteran leadership to our up and coming younger players. The scuba wouldn’t be on the hook for much. I believe he’d thrive at Wrigley.
*The Cubs. Where the hell did scuba come from? Lol.
As a Cardinals fan I hope the Cubs sign him.
Hosmer would be a nice LH bat in Philly. Gonna be without Harper for at least two months. Hosmer could play 1B vs. RHP with Hoskins (And his glove!) at DH.
With a LHP on the mound, Hoskins back at 1B, Hosmer to the bench. Wouldn’t mind seeing McCutchen back in Philly as a RH platoon DH.
I won’t be upset if it’s a minor league deal.
Alittle surprised that despite having two legit top prospects at first base Kansas City isn’t bringing him in if anything just to teach the young two and traded to a contender middle season. I’d think both sides would take that as a help me help you and it actually sell tickets and merchandise in KC.
Cubs could use someone to make up for all the double days Contreras and Heyward hit into.
I do not understand why everyone is saying that signing Hosmer is a bad thing. He would cost the league minimum. There are a lot more worse players making more than that. If he doesn’t perform then cut him or trade him at the deadline for a prospect. I thonk Hosier’s pride has been dinged and he will be looking to prove himself. May be a redemption year for him.
Again, he only costs the team the league’s minimum.
Here’s an idea, If Hosmer performs well and sticks for 3-years, make a deal with the Padres that if the new team pays half his contract they get a couple good prospects sent their way. Again, Hosmer would have to perform well enough to make it worth the money.