The Marlins are among the teams that are showing interest in Mark Reynolds, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The Orioles non-tendered the slugger last week after previously declining his $11MM option in favor of a $500K buyout.
The 29-year-old Reynolds batted .221/.335/.429 with 23 long balls for the Orioles this year in a roller coaster season. Reynolds had just a .681 OPS on Aug. 5 before exploding to bat .284/.399/.610 with 13 of his 23 homers over the next 40 games. He then slumped to finish the season, collecting just six hits in his final 48 trips to the plate.
As Heyman points out, Reynolds would be a better bat to place behind Giancarlo Stanton than Yunel Escobar, whom the club is attempting to trade. The team has been said to be looking for a power hitter to complement Stanton in the lineup. Reynolds would certainly fit that description, though his poor defense makes him a questionable fit for NL clubs like Miami.
