The Cubs have interest in free agent first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. Mancini is a free agent for the first time after a number of years with the Orioles and a brief stint with the Astros in 2022. A $10MM mutual option wasn’t picked up at the end of the season, and Mancini took a $250K buyout instead to hit the open market.
There hasn’t been a lot of reported interest in Mancini’s services to date this off-season, although a number of teams could use a bat like his so he figures to have a lot of potential fits.
The 30-year-old is coming off a solid platform year. He was hitting .268/.347/.404 with ten home runs at the deadline with Baltimore, before they traded their long time fan favorite to the Astros. He scuffled a bit down the stretch in Houston, hitting just .176/.258/.364 with eight home runs in 186 plate appearances. It certainly wasn’t an ideal lead in to a trip to the open market, and a spike in strikeouts didn’t help, but he can still point to unfortunate .191 BABIP as something that should even out over time.
Mancini has been one of the feel good stories around baseball in recent years, following his successful return from a Stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis in 2020. He missed the entire 2020 season, but has was a productive hitter both before and after for Baltimore, hitting .270/.334/.463 with 117 home runs in almost 3,000 plate appearances.
Defensively, he’s split time fairly evenly between the outfield and first base, but was more often that not utilized in the DH spot in 2022. He’s yielded -24 Outs Above Average in around 2,500 innings in the corner outfield spots, but has been worth a more positive five OAA at first base in just over 2,000 innings of work there.
1B/DH seems to be where he’d spend the bulk of his time if he did in fact wind up with the Cubs. They have Cody Bellinger, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki penciled in to handle most of the outfield reps, but 1B/DH is open with Matt Mervis and Alfonso Rivas the in-house candidates there. Mervis broke out in 2022 and could well be their long-term answer, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see them add a more experienced option as well. The team has had discussions with former Met Dominic Smith recently, while the likes of Matt Carpenter, Brandon Drury, Brandon Belt, or Eric Hosmer on the trade market could all make some sense as options.
As Levine notes, the Cubs priorities for additions remain elsewhere though. They’re heavily involved in the shortstop market and have been interested in both Carlos Correa and Dansby Swanson. Levine points to starting pitcher and catcher as the other priorities. They did just sign Jameson Taillon to a four-year, $68MM deal, but it seems they’re keen to add another, with Japanese star Kodai Senga someone they’ve had interest in.
Their need for a catcher comes as no surprise after seeing their long-time backstop Willson Contreras sign with the rival Cardinals. Christian Vazquez is the top free agent catcher remaining, but Oakland’s Sean Murphy is available, while the Blue Jays could well move one of their young backstops – Gabriel Moreno, Danny Jansen or Alejandro Kirk.
Cubs spending like drunken sailors. Lol
68m for Taillon is not much
Agree to disagree. I like Taillon, but he’s never taken that next step. Slightly above average pitcher who you can’t rely on to be there when needed. Not much better than Tyler Anderson, imo.
I would have liked the Cubs to get Tailon and Tyler Anderson. Maybe Tyler likes SoCal but I think three years 40 million might have hooked him
In today’s market it’s not. It’s not my money so I’m just glad Joe finally has an open checkbook for Jwd.
In a vacuum, it’s not, but there’s always trade offs. Tyler Anderson may not have been an actual possibility for the Cubs, but the point is that guys who are in that tier can be found for less money that allows for upgrades elsewhere
I was being sarcastic.
There’s only two teams in the league that make more money than the Chicago Cubs (Yankees, Dodgers). For a top 3 revenue franchise coming off a sub .500 season with a projected payroll of a measly $92MM to be getting outbid for top free agents is a disgrace. It’s the main reason I stopped being a Cubs fan 40 years ago. The White Sox are a dysfunctional organization due to ownership, but they spend similar to the Cubs and have been far more competitive during that timespan.
Is there a reason the Cubs make so much revenue?
Rookie of the Year
Uhh, They own the stadium, The Whole block really complete with parking garages and a hotel, Their own TV station, The rooftops across the street, Although Ricketts did say he’s lowering ticket prices this year but it’s probably not by much. Own the whole complex in Az where the AFL teams play and several of their minor league teams stadiums and Ricketts is a billionaire. Need anything else?
Wrigley Field is like owning a casino, just printing money- particularly when they have a decent team on the field. Their ST complex is also amazing and draws fans like almost no other franchise. But their biggest money-maker of all may well be their Marquee network. Cubs may not be top-3 but they are certainly close, and would be with a competitive team. Only the Yankees are clearly ahead of the Cubs in terms of revenue but teams like Dodgers, Red Sox and Mets are probably out-earning the Cubs recently.
The Cubs owner is wealthier than the Yankees owner too. Although that doesn’t directly translate to spending, the fact that they’re a top-revenue team in conjunction with that should.
I assumed they would be spending big this offseason. I was wrong. Perhaps they will acquire Swanson? He seems like a good fit for their defensively adept team. But he’s not even “expensive.”
Wealth means nothing compared to stupidity. Hoyer said they were going to spend smart as the contracts that have been given out so far are mostly for stupid money. The 2 guys the Cubs got were smart and pretty much along guidelines so I have no problem with it at all.
There is still time to see if the Cubs decided to actually open the purse strings and actually spend like they are a big market team. The owner and president of business ops have went on record to state that there is a lot of money to spend for this offseason. So, it looks like they are pressuring the GM to actually spend in a public way or looking to have a scapegoat when he doesn’t.
If this off season has taught me anything it’s that the Luxury Tax penalties are not even close to being enough. Nobody has a care about them in the least.
I think they do because it has significantly curved spending up to this point. When is the last time there has been a year in which teams have done this. Remember this isn’t supposed to be a hard cap. It’s supposed to curb this activity from continuing every year. Trust me, it will. The Yankees will be back under in two-three years, the Mets won’t spend like this forever, and the Padres have an expiration as well.
Your jealousy of the Cubs is painfully obvious and your comments are painfully repetitive.
@bleed
I’d been in pain too if chisoxcity roasted my team like he just roasted your cubs. Lolz
The White Sox have won 3 playoff series in the past 100 plus seasons. I wouldn’t say they e been any more competitive than the Cubs.
You’re a tragic, sad human being… So focused on what the Cubs do or don’t do… Why don’t you worry about the White Sox who just signed Victor Reyes as their offseason SPLASH?
Don’t blame the Cubs because the White Sox traded Fernando Tatis for James Shields or that they traded Bassitt and Marcus Semien for Samardzija… Yeah, so much success…
Oh damn, I forgot about the bassitt and semien for samardzija swap!
Don’t forget letting Machado slip through their fingers.
@chisox. Idk what your complaining about !? Cubs are primed to compete for that 3rd spot in central w pirates and reds. What else could cub fans hope for ??
More like 2nd place with the Brewers, who just got weaker.
Brewers traded Renfroe and Wong, Cubs are primed for second in division and with Contreras behind plate, look for a decline with Cards pitching
The Reds will be no where near 3rd place, but the Pirates are improving.
The Reds owner is no longer extending young players like Stephenson and India. They are also not signing any multi-year free agents. Anyone earning $5 Million dollars or more a year are being traded. It’s not likely to change until the current owner sells the team. The Reds will lose 110 games in 2023.
Delusional White Sox fan, shocker
The projected payroll is $175 million this coming season, but they should be spending FAR more for certain.
Yea let’s lock in 30yo SSs for 11 years. Pass. That Wander Franco deal the Rays made is looking very good after every FA SS deal this off-season so far.
Joe Ricketts is as cheap if not cheaper than Reinsdorf. Both are terrible. At least Jerry has some kind of interaction with the White Sox and Bulls. Joe Ricketts is the only owner probably ever to zero involvement with the team.
Sarcasm is completely lost on this group.
Reds fan here …so no dog in the Cubs/White Sox fight. But the Cubs should be right with NYY and LA Dodgers when it comes to spending. I know our owner is worse, but still no reason for the Cubs not to own the NL Central every season.
One reason?The St. Louis Cardinals.
Mancini just signed with the With KBO’s Doosan Bears too.
Whoever picks him up I’d give him 2 years/$25M w/ an opt out or if we think this is who he is, maybe 3 years/$40M w/ a $5M buyout on a $14M option.
No possible way he’s getting a multi year contract unless it’s very team friendly allowing him to show his decline isn’t real.
You’d be shocked how many players who look done but hit free agency with a ton of hype points from their debut still get lucrative deals, even if they’re a pale shadow of their original potential.
And while yes, his market value going by WAR would indicate he’s worth approximately 1 year/$8.5M, the reality is that Mancini is beloved around the league and he provides value of some kind plus they’d break even on jersey sales alone probably.
I do feel like a lot of guys who had potential still get insanely lucrative (for them) deals so the league can let them walk away set for life, if not with multi generational wealth.
They pegged him for like 3 years/$45M and I think he will get that or close to that.
I’ll take that bet. He’s not a robot. His heart was in Baltimore and didn’t want to be traded mid season. From a production perspective, his numbers fell apart as his BABIP was below .200 in Houston. It’s an outlier and teams will recognize that. All it takes is two interested teams to get a solid multi year deal
So overated.
Na
Great guy, but his production is pretty meh these days.
Trey Mancini would be an excellent option to fill the Cubs 1B hole in 2023. He would provide a solid bat and glove to the team. Mancini would also be a nice complement to lefty hitting slugging prospect Matt Mervis with the latter seeing ample time at DH versus RHP.
Mancini would also give the Cubs added versatility as a right-handed hitting corner outfielder. He’s also been a solid citizen in MLB clubhouses, a virtue that the front office and coaching staff are prioritizing this offseason with a younger Cubs roster.
Between Mancini, Mervis and Bellinger they’d have 1B and DH pretty much covered to buy themselves another year for Mervis (and Armstrong in CF) to develop.
Why would he take a platoon job w the cubs ? There will be better options
Who said anything about Mancini platooning? He’d be in line for full time PA’s, mostly at 1B with some added reps at DH and an OF corner.
Cancer completly ruined his career. Should just retire and enjoy life, hes made his money
He’s definitely not the same player, but his career isn’t ruined. He’s still productive and a nice veteran presence with any team.
He overcame stage 3 cancer and was able to resume a pro sports career playing at the highest level. That itself is admirable and commendable for the effort he put in. I’ll always be rooting for Mancini even if he’s a league-average player.
He’s about to land a $18-20M/2 deal. Why would he want to retire? And one of my retirement plans is to play softball, for free.
Cancer alone doesn’t necessarily mean the end of a player’s potential. Rizzo and Lester both came back from cancer and eventually flourished. James Tallion has had 2 solid years after testicular cancer and just signed the biggest deal of his career.
Why are they wasting money on this? You should be either all in or tanking. Being in the middle is a losers strategy
Dodgers must be the biggest losers then after signing Jason Heyward…
And hey, let’s not forget those WS Champs Astros who traded for Mancini… they’re losers too!
Mancini would be a better option at 1st base for the Yankees over Rizzo imo. Mancini is in his prime years, and won’t command as much money. Rizzo is going to be washed up soon if not already
Back issues and all but he still put up a 130 OPS+ with good defense. That would be Mancini’s ceiling and it wouldn’t be enough offense with questionable offensive outputs from JD, IKF, DJL, and Hicks on the roster.
Ummm it says Yanks so that leads me to believe you’re a Yankee fan? Have you watched any Yankee games since they traded for Rizzo? Lol he is one of the best fielding first basemen in the game. He saved probably an additional 15 errors for IKF last year alone. Hit 32 HR last year. Washed up? What team are you watching?
Rizzo batted about .222
And Judge struck out 175 times.
Batting average is a metric that is really not used anymore to evaluate a hitter’s performance. You’re welcome to your opinion bro, I just respectfully disagree.
Rizzo will benefit greatly from the new infield shift rules.
If im him im taking a one year deal and hoping to reestablish myself. He’s got plenty of pop and no way he’s as bad as he was with Astros. The pressure of going from a bad team to a team expecting to win a title couldn’t of been easy. He’s a first baseman/ dh only which limits his market but he’s a perfect buy low target.
Mancini just is not an everyday player on a good team unless he fills an absolutely gaping hole. 1 year deal with option(s).
1b/DH was a gaping hole for the Cubs. So Mancini short term and hope that Mervis is ready would do.
Probably do just as well with time split between Wade Jr. and Wilmer.
Belt and Hosmer are definitely not sensible options. Belt admitted a couple months ago that his knees are shot. Cubs would only have to pay league minimum for Hosmer over 3 years, and they wouldn’t have to give up much to get him from BOS, but he’s a faint shadow of his former self. Mancini’s not a bad option, but Luke Voit would be better.
Belt and Hosmer aren’t even worth mentioning no matter how much you pay them and more notably they’re both LH. The Cubs already have Mervis coming so ridiculous to even bring them up. Voit could be a possibility if the Cubs aren’t serious about Dominic Smith, But those are dumpster dive options the Cubs don’t need. They could do better fishing in the Chicago River.
Cubs could get Matt Carpenter on a one year deal, but it feels like a gamble. Was his Renaissance with NYY last year an aberration? Might be worth a shot because all they need is a bridge to Mervis.
I don’t believe he’ll replicate the power but the plate discipline is still there but he’s not an everyday player anymore.
The cubs should sign Carpenter because he absolutely kills the cubs.
Mancini is an inspiring story, but I would roll with Mervis
I don’t think Mervis should be handed 1B… Besides, with the DH, they could both get enough playing time.
The best fielding first baseman of that group who would cost less than Mancini after his non-tender is Dom Smith. Smith’s key is getting his swing back, which he was starting to do in AAA. He was perennially blocked at 1B by Alonso. If he got a better opportunity, he could succeed. Matt Mervis could be their DH.
I fear that Trey’s Houston performance is more of an indicator as to how the rest of his career will be. Much like Jonathan Schoop and a few others, Trey’s stats were buoyed by his playing in Camden Yards.
Probably why he’s a good fit for the Cubs… You gamble on a bounce back, if he doesn’t, then you can dfa and promote your top 1B prospect.
The Cubs are going to need an option at 1B that is RH. Wisdom whiffs too much and Mancini is a guy I thought would be a nice bridge with Mervis as we all know the Cubs are going to bury him until his date passes where they get that precious extra arbitration year. He could be DH when Mervis does get here or a RH option at 1B when Mervis sits. I was hoping for Abreu but Houston gave him silly money and Mancini would now be much cheaper I would think. The Cubs still have work to do and it seems like waiting is playing out in their favor as a lot of options I thought would fly off the board might be cheaper now. They don’t really NEED a SS as Hoerner is more than adequate and maybe that money would be better spent on Vasquez, Mancini and a LH reliever like Chafin because they still have serious pitching even without Senga, But Senga and not a SS might be interesting if a C can’t be had in a trade. Still waiting to see how it plays out. The money the SS’s are getting isn’t as concerning as the YEARS they’re getting. The Cubs might be better off passing for now.
Solid 1B guy, and as an O’S fan I can say the wall being moved back in Camden hurt his slugging, and he sometimes hits into the worst luck…exit velocity 100mph+, and all the LF had to do was take a step to his right and put his glove out, or it went right to the SS.
He’d be worth a 2yr/22million deal to the right team. His clubhouse mentality alone is a big boost.
So far the Cubs have done exactly what I was hoping. Still need a few more big moves to be competitive though. They signed Bellinger. They signed a middle of the rotation starter in Taillon. Which a move back to the NL Central. I’m hoping he can pitch more like a #2. I still want them to sign Dansby. Sign Mancini. Either trade for S. Murphy or sign Vasquez. Would love if they could get AJ Puk in a deal with Murphy. If they sign Dansby. That would make Morel and Madrigal expendable. Also, they still need an ace pitcher. Unfortunately, the Brewers aren’t trading them Burnes or Woodruff. Maybe they can talk Miami into trading Rogers. He has massive upside and is left handed which they need. Then, add some Rp’s.
Make a trade with the White Sox – Madrigal and Morel for Sheets and Grandal.
Forget Mancini and Vasquez. Two past their prime FA.
If they wanted to pay that much for a Catcher. They would’ve just kept Contreras. Vasquez is better than Grandal. And, Madrigal is better than Sheets.
Cubs winning the offseason thus far and sending a message that the rebuild has been accelerated. Would not be surprised if they signed Correa and acquired Murphy. They’ve already become the favorites in the NLC even without another move, but adding those two pieces puts them in the Giles Trophy discussion.
Seriously? They’ve only added Cody Bellinger and Jameson Taillon to this point. Those two alone aren’t getting the Cubs within sniffing distance of the Cardinals, probably not even the Brewers without Milwaukee continuing to subtract from it MLB roster. The blue Kool-Aid must taste great with those cheese sliders!
Of course they have interest. he’s inexpensive relatively speaking.
Viable option for the Twinkies.
RH platoon corner Outfielder, Back-Up at 1B to Arreaz, RH DH.
Are the cubs going to try fielding an all-just-above-average squad?
No. They are trying to field a just below average lineup.
The utter lack of ‘star’ power is very unlike a major market team. Happ isn’t selling tickets, nor is Hoerner or Stroman or Suzuki or anyone else on that roster. Bellinger has the name recognition but unless he gets off to a fast start, he’s not the guy either.
The Cubs are boring and unexciting. Ross deserves better.
Wrigley Field is the star. Always has been, always will be.
The Cubs have the ability to spend to be competitive. The Sox act like they do not, but at least most Sox fans see through the company line and stay away from their team when they suck and their FO just makes things worse (or tries to snow then under with their BS).
I have recently realized what Cubs fans are. Cubs fans are basically like a College team’s fans . Loyal to a fault and fork over a lot of money despite how middling or bad they are, Its like they feel like they owe the Cubs that loyalty (for whatever reason). In this case to a team that has tightwad owners and are fairly mediocre as well. Ricketts struck gold with this fan base.. He realized all he needed to do was win one WS (and a great cost sure), and get his ticket is punched in regards to always being able to really do anything he wants with the stadium and neighborhood, and raise ticket prices to cover all of that work for his family (not really the fans) to benefit from, never mind putting out a Marque network to show such a poor product AND getting people and cable companies to buy into it.. This all despite putting out a fire sale shortly there after the WS win, and putting a subpar product on the field so far as he knows he will still get 35K or more fans in the stands (never mind all the tourists that come just for selfie at Wrigley Field).
Id be envious except really Sox fans are really no more or less suffering than Cubs fans when it comes to the quality of their teams they have put on the field over the years, its just that Cubs fans apparently are just more delusional to think ownership cares about winning and not making a buck off of them (or worse yet don’t care as long as they can get a selfie in the beer garden on Addison).
The padres should be Al over this guy. Great bench piece to play back up OF and 1B
I think I would rather the cubs sign Wil Myers for of/1b/dh role. Second choice – Dom Smith. both will be cheaper..require shorter contracts and provide similar output.
I wouldn’t mind the RS taking a peek. He can pick up ABs in LF, 1B and DH.
The padres should be all over this guy as a bench piece.
What about giving Frank Schwindel a chance. A lot cheaper! Same stats
Frank the Tank had his moment in the sun.
Mancini would make a lot of sense because he’d also provide coverage for a corner outfield injury.
25 games in LF (Happ DHing or if they stink he gets traded at the deadline, 45 games at 1B when they face a lefty or an ace righty and want to sit Mervis, 65 games at DH, and 20 as a late inning PH for Bellinger or Mervis.
Hey, maybe Mancini & Bellinger can combine to hit .400. Cubs will take ” Guys Who Cant Hit” for 1000 Alex.
They are interested in everyone bit won’t do anything. Sort of like the guy who goes to the Mercedes dealer looks at a bunch of cars then runs across the street to the buy here pay here car lot and gets an 87 Hyndai GLE with 325K miles on it and will be making payments for 7 years and tell everyone he got a deal. The Cubs just suck