DEC. 16: The Rockies have announced the signing of Reynolds to a one-year contract.
DEC. 10: The Rockies have reached an agreement with free-agent first baseman Mark Reynolds, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (Twitter link). It’s a one-year deal that will guarantee the Ballengee Group client $2.6MM plus the opportunity to earn more via incentives.
Reynolds, 32, spent last season with the Cardinals and batted .230/.315/.398 with 13 homers in 432 plate appearances. Once known for his prodigious power and enormous strikeout rates, Reynolds has seen his pop diminish in recent seasons, although a move to Coors Field could certainly boost his numbers in that regard.
The Rockies stand to lose Justin Morneau to free agency, though they have a younger left-handed option at first base in-house, in the form of Ben Paulsen. The 28-year-old Paulsen got his first extended look in the Majors this past season and batted .277/.326/.462 with 11 homers in 354 plate appearances. Paulsen, though, hit just .235/.285/.265 against fellow lefties, clearly illustrating the need for a platoon partner.
Reynolds, it seems, will fill that void without costing the Rockies a great deal, financially speaking. His agreement marks the third negotiated by GM Jeff Bridich down in Nashville, as the Rox have already added Jason Motte and Chad Qualls to their bullpen this week.
New sheriff in town. Mark can launch them and he plays a nice first base too. I wouldn’t expect much other than defense at this point though.
Much needed spot. Good move. They definitely needed to be another platoon spot with paulsen
Mark played ok for the Cards. He should hit some deep one’s in Coors. Good luck to him.
He’s a good fit for the Rockies. I’m sure he will do well for them.
Great. I can’t wait for the 30 solo home runs and 200 strikeouts with men on base. This is almost my worst case scenario for 1b this offseason. At least it should be better than keeping Wilin Rosario, barely.
I wonder why teams are rushing to sign these guys when the likes of Alvarez / Carter are still out there. Yes they’re cheaper but they seem a bit less attractive.
Yawn