6:41pm: The Rangers are also involved in the Conforto market, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. Texas general manager Chris Young told reporters coming out of the Winter Meetings they were hoping to address left field, where rookies Bubba Thompson, Ezequiel Duran and Josh Smith look like the in-house favorites for playing time. That corner outfield vacancy makes Conforto a fairly obvious target, particularly with Andrew Benintendi’s five-year deal with the White Sox taking the top free agent left fielder off the board.
1:09pm: The Marlins have shown some interest in free agent outfielder Michael Conforto, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Heyman also lists the Astros and Cubs, both of whom have been previously linked to the Boras Corporation client, as teams with interest.
Miami entered the offseason searching for offensive help. They’ve done essentially nothing thus far, with the only noteworthy move being the non-tender of Brian Anderson. The Marlins hit just .230/.294/.363 in 2022, finishing 27th in on-base percentage and 28th in slugging. Spacious Marlins Park hasn’t done their batters any favors, but Miami’s offense was one of the league’s worst even after accounting for home environment. By measure of wRC+, which adjusts for park, the Marlins were 12 percentage points worse than the average hitting team — the sixth-lowest mark in the league.
Most of the Miami offense underperformed, with second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. their only standout hitter. That gives general manager Kim Ng and her staff myriad positions they could look to address. The outfield, which Miami thought they’d fixed last offseason, posed particular problems. Avisaíl García fell flat with a career-worst .224/.266/.317 showing in the first season of a four-year free agent deal. Jorge Soler, inked to a three-year deal after a massive postseason showing in 2021, managed just a .207/.295/.400 mark with subpar defense in left field.
The Marlins gave extended auditions to young players Jesús Sánchez and Bryan De La Cruz. Neither ran away with an everyday job, with both reaching base at a sub-.300 clip. Sánchez and De La Cruz each showed interesting power potential, but they both struck out more often than average while walking at a subpar clip. Of that group, only Sánchez — who spent most of the season’s second half in Triple-A after being optioned — hits left-handed.
Bringing in a lefty-swinging outfielder makes plenty of sense, and Conforto’s one of the more interesting options available. The 29-year-old missed all of 2022 recovering from an offseason injury to his right shoulder that required surgery. He’s not expected to have any health limitations by next spring, but the lost year raises some questions about how he’ll respond after such a long layoff.
Conforto wasn’t even at his best before the surgery, as his 2021 campaign was his worst in a while. He hit .232/.344/.384 over 479 plate appearances for the division-rival Mets in 2021. That’d still be an upgrade over the production Miami received from any of their outfielders last season, but it’s well shy of the .265/.369/.495 cumulative line Conforto had posted from 2017-20.
With his value at a low ebb, Conforto is looking for a bounceback opportunity. Agent Scott Boras has suggested he expects Conforto land a multi-year guarantee this offseason, one that allows him to opt out and retest free agency at the end of the 2023 campaign. Boras reiterated that sentiment when speaking with Anthony DiComo of MLB.com yesterday (Twitter link). That’s a rather lofty goal for a player coming off a season lost to shoulder surgery, and it remains to be seen if a team is willing to guarantee him multiple years.
While Conforto’s bat would be a welcome addition to the Miami lineup, he’s not an ideal fit from a positional perspective. He hasn’t played a single inning of center field since 2019, and his early-career defensive metrics there were very poor. Conforto’s a solid defender in the corner outfield, but he’s even less likely to be an option up-the-middle after surgery on his throwing shoulder. Miami reportedly prefers to push Soler more fully into designated hitter work in 2023, so Conforto and García could take the corners. That’d require leaning on Sánchez, De La Cruz or JJ Bleday again in center field, where each player is probably miscast. Of course, with an already shallow center field market having been picked clean, the Marlins may no longer have a viable alternative to rolling out another mediocre defensive outfield.
The Astros have been tied to Conforto on a number of occasions this offseason, as they’re reportedly looking to install a left-handed bat into the corner outfield mix. The Cubs were previously linked to Conforto as well, although that was before they signed Cody Bellinger to play center field. That filled Chicago’s outfield, which already contained Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ in the corners. The Cubs don’t have a great option at designated hitter, though, which is presumably where they’re eyeing Conforto at this point. Seattle and both New York franchises were also linked to the Oregon State product at points this offseason.
Miami’s facing some competition in the Conforto market, but he shouldn’t be unattainable from a financial perspective. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald wrote in September that owner Bruce Sherman was willing to sign off on a fairly modest payroll bump, but they’ve yet to dip into free agency thus far. The Fish have reportedly put forth an offer to former Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, who remains unsigned. Heyman writes Miami appears willing to make a two-year commitment to the 38-year-old, who’s coming off a .278/.350/.438 showing in Los Angeles.
It seems like everyone has said “Conforto to the Marlins” for over a year. Ng must just be starting to listen
Acquiring Conforto,and Justin Turner in addition to trading low (Bosox) for Eric Hosmer will be really good news for MARLINS.
Hosmer has a full no-trade clause so I doubt he’ll approve a trade to the Marlins. Also, I’m guessing that Conforto would prefer to play for the Rangers given the protection he would get in the lineup vs. what he’d have in Miami. This is a huge year for Conforto as it’s probably his last chance to secure a 4-5 year deal should be perform well enough in 2023. Texas gives him a better chance to do this than Miami does.
Isn’t Miami Hosmer’s home town?
@BaseballisLife
Yes, Hosmer is from here.
Hosmer’s been designated for assignment, does his no trade clause still apply?
He’s a FA now so it’s up to him and his market where he signs.
Kim Ng doesn’t listen to much. If she did, we would’ve had a legit Closer the day she walked into the door.
MarlinsFanBase;
Perhaps that’s the problem……
Must have gotten all shaken up “the day she walked into the door”.
The day Ng walked in the door walked in the Marlins door, she was not making any decisions. Jeter and his Yankees buddies were making them all.
$12 dollars for 2 years probably gets it done.
More like $12 million for 1 year in this market.
Ok, so it turned out to be $11 million for one year. Still, I was close. Lol
You mean 2 years 40. Bellinger got 17 and he hasn’t hit for 2 years.
In fairness, neither has Conforto!
No way Boras let’s him go to Miami
Boras-planted rumor
Exactly! The guy is coming off an injury. Can’t play defense. Was not great the last year he played. Yet his master of an agent will somehow drum up a market and get him a multi-year contract.
@CursedRangers
Contrary to your comments, Conforto’s a good player with a very smooth, pretty swing. He also plays a solid corner outfield, is a pro’s pro who respects the game and has reputation as excellent teammate. If he signs with the Rangers, your team will be better for it. I would welcome his return to the Mets but the odds don’t favor it.
It depends on the cost of course. Less than Gallo’s deal = good deal
More than Gallo’s deal = moderately bad to awful deal
With an opt-out.
I’d like for the cubs to give him a shot. Sign him, trade Wisdom for Donaldson and German (with yanks throwing in some cash), sign segura. If, big if, 2 of donaldson/bellinger/conforto have bounce back years cubs have a decent lineup.
Bellinger cf
Happ lf
Suzuki rf
conforto dh
mervis 1b
donaldson 3b
Hoerner ss
Segura 2b
Gomes c
You’re going to trade Patrick Wisdom for Domingo German and Josh Donaldson and then ask the Yankees for cash? The Yankees are going to ask, “who is Patrick Wisdom?”
Yanks want donaldson gone and have no need for german – wisdom doesn’t have a lot of value but is a useful player – at the very least Yankees should pay the cost of donaldsons buyout. Yanks would do that in a heartbeat just to get donaldsons $$ off the books
German is cheap and there is no such thing as too many starters. They will have to give up something to unload Donaldson. If the price is German, then so be it, but it isn’t like he is a drag on the roster.
The Yankees absolutely have a need for German.
Why, he’s a perceptive guy & he has it down Pat…
The answer is the best player in that sorry lot.
Extent of Conforto injury makes him an enigma. Could be a steal or could be a blunder
They should lean into an offer.
Good place, I think. Conforto wants consistent playing time and a chance to rebuild his value.
If he can get that in a state with no income tax that’s great. And if it is a one year deal or two with an opt out, he becomes a nice trade chip for Miami if he performs up to his previous level.
But where is he going to play in Miami? The Marlins aren’t the kind of team that will keep Garcia or Soler on the bench. And they are better off finding out what they have in De La Cruz and Sanchez than playing a guy like Conforto. This rumor is fluff. I don’t see the fit even if Conforto is an upgrade over what they have.
True. Bad position fit.
DH
Soler can play DH, Garcia RF and Conforto LF. But Conforto is not going to Miami where the park will suppress his stats on a short deal.
Yanks swoop in because Benintendi is looking for 5 years
Benintendi got the 5yrs with white sox i believe
Nintendo with White Sox.
Going to have to take a one year prove yourself contract you’d imagine. Why not spend it in Miami.
A ballpark not conducive to your swing?
With Ron DeSantis as the governor I would rather play in Alaska. Naw JK of course; I always thought my Mariners were an ideal fit for Conforto, a hometown lad. But the cash register on the S.S.Mariner is triple locked and Sailor Jerry can’t find the key.
The Marlins gave AAAA player Avisail Garcia 50+ million but would not give Starling Marte, a much better player, 50+ million. Kim Ng has had a fairly disappointing, non descript start to her GM career……
It was less for Marte
They didn’t like Marte’s injury and steroid history (2017) from what I recall. Clearly the wrong choice in retrospect.
Not sure why anyone thinks Ng made any calls while Jeter was still there.
Jeter was forced out so that Ng could finally do her job.
Jeter left because they won’t spend money to improve their team
Cant believe Conforto is still out there. Must be something more to his injuries. Solid LH bat should play for most teams. If he wasnt a spitting image of Verdugo, Sox would be on him.
I am thinking his salary demands are unrealistic…or rather his agent’s.
The Astros want him and the holdup is Boras’ insistence on giving his player an extra year of insurance without committing if he can earn more.
He wants either a 2 yr $40M+ deal with an opt out or a 1 yr + player option @$20M+ each.
Either way the team has no security. Either they pay for injured player or poor production or the player leaves for greener pastures but only the player gets to decide.
He has shown his willingness to wait it out and stick to his guns.
He will probably get it eventually.
If Conforto gets 20m/season, even in this market, the signing GM should be fired on the spot. He should be hoping for a prove it contract of about half that after a down year and a missed season/surgery..Plus..he’s a strikeout machine even when healthy, and is a terrible defender. Might he bounce back? Sure. But I’d say the chances are much better that he finishes closer to his ‘21 numbers than his ‘17-‘19 numbers..
He’s a reliable, solid enough defender. I watched him for years.
He’s been a good defender for years with an accurate ,but average strength arm.
Ok. Sticking to his guns has cost him an unbelievable fortune.
I’d be ok with $10M and up to $20M upon reaching certain milestones.
If the milestones are reached then he could vest for another year at $10 and up to $20M based upon performance, or opt out.
Prove it!
I like conforto a lot, but max he should get is 1-15. It’s a prove it year for him, no doubt.
Have not read any of your claims anywhere else Astrodude.
Injuries and bad attitude. His former teammates said they didn’t want him back. For me, that said it all.
@Baseballislife
Other than injuries, none of what you wrote is true. Quite the opposite. He’s well respected and has reputation as very good teammate.
I’m not a Conforto fan, but that is not true.
Go to the Natti where you can parlay the house that Junior built into a big contract elsewhere.
Marlins are another team with an owner pocketing revenue sharing money instead of using it to bring in better ball players. They will waste Alcantara’s prime years as an ace battling the Nationals for 4th place until this changes.
You say this like it’s a hidden secret or something. Everyone knows they’re cheap.
Luke Voit is a good fit in Miami – be nice to see them add a 1B
Ng husband’s wines are the kind of bottles you regift at Christmas to the mail carrier or the dog walker because they don’t know any better. Absolute garbage.
With Pirates outfield in a flux, Conforto couldn’t be any worse than what us fans have seen so far outside of Reynolds. And Reynolds could be traded if a team gets serious about needing a corner OF option. The market has been wild and I could see Reynolds being moved during Spring Training. This is where Conforto can come into play for his veteran status and hopefully find traction again in Pittsburgh.
Personally, I’d rather have Suwinski over Conforto. But if the Pirates go out and sign another outfielder, I’d prefer it to be a right-handed one. Suwinski, Bae, Swaggerty, Smith-Njigba, Mitchell, all left-handers. Go the slightly less risky path with like Adam Duvall or AJ Pollock so he can be a platoon/4th OF rather than another lefty defensively limited OF with questionable health.
You are going on one year of Suwinski. I am not sold on him yet. It took me 2 years to buy into Reynolds. But Smith-Njigba, Mitchell, Bae, and Swaggerty haven’t done much at the MLB level. A guy like Conforto is low risk, high reward.
The Pirates organization are an embarrassment to the human race. I would like to see the league retract by one team and the Pirates be eliminated. They don’t even try to win.
@galdom ease up on retracting on teams. Maybe move, but eliminate such a storied organization? I think you are being simple minded and too harsh. There are ways to change how that club can remain competitive. Too many to be honest. 1) adapt to salary cap or 2) Move the club and 3) Strip the ownership of Bob Nutting. There are more ways to change the this organization around. They are spending to some degree this year. Nothing to be wowed about though. It’s just the organization as a whole, isn’t functioning as it should. From scouting to player development to signing and/or resigning players to their worth to coaching to front office and then onto ownership. From top to bottom, it’s worse than Baltimore organization and their fans aren’t pleased either. Small market teams aren’t for the faint hearted and that is a given
This makes zero sense for the Marlins, which means it’s a perfect fit for everything they’ve been doing the last 2.5 years
Marlins are idiots. This should have been their primary target last year. Instead they added two scrubs on the corners. Could have signed him and let the young guys earn the other two spots. I know De La Cruz struggled last season but the guy looks like a solid ballplayer more often than not. Now if they sign him it will be a trainwreck because they’ll be forced to play the three of them
Conforto didn’t even play last year lol
He didnt play because he wasnt signed….
He didn’t play because he injured his shoulder in January and had season-ending surgery.
I bet Soler will have better stats in 2023 than Conforto. Garcia will improve a little but his bat players in Milwaukee but not in Miami, different ball park and different lineup surrounding you. Plus Garcia was coming off a career year.
Watch for Soler in 2023, you heard it here and now.
Solar will be released by the allstar break. Heard it here first!
If we only signed at least 1/3 of all the free agents we have been interested in over the past few years…..
Two months ago this guy had “multiple major league offers” he was considering. Read it right here. MLBTR is Confortos biggest fan. He is a non story at this point in time. He’ll sign somewhere but until then just stop.
Don’t do it Michael. Come back home.
I’d like him back on the Mets… most underappreciated player I’ve ever experienced.
Under appreciated? he turned down a 100M+ extension after a horrible year and then turned the QO.
By the fans… he’s overwhelmingly disliked as a player for some reason,claiming he’s so painfully awful in the clutch which wasn’t true.
I hope Conforto signs with the Marlins, biggest rally killer and least clutch hitter I’ve ever seen. Would help the Mets a lot in getting into the playoffs, makes Marlins a lot worse. Many fans have been duped by looking at Conforto’s career ops. Dude hits well when the Mets are officially out of playoff contention or they are up/down by 5 or more runs
Two major shoulder surgeries will do that
@LFGMets (Metsin7)
Ridiculous comments.
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Marlins do sign him. Our OF defense won’t be helped any, but wouldn’t be surprised he’s in Miami next season.
Personally, Closer is a bigger need because, if we held half of the games we blew late-inning leads in, we would have been about .500 or slight above the last two seasons. We can live with letting the all the OF hopefuls battle each other for the three spots – de la Cruz, Sanchez, Bleday, Burdick, Encarnacion, Garcia…with Soler DH-ing.
With this rumor, it all depends on what are the demands of the Pirates and A’s for Reynolds or Laureano. If the price tag is too high, Conforto becomes a possibility.
Another possible impact may be the news of Eric Hosmer being DFA-ed by the Red Sox. I could see the Marlins looking to bring him home to S.Fla.
The Rangers have such a bad outfield, and yet I really don’t want to see them waste 20 million or whatever on him over a year. If he gets a multi-year deal, I suspect 6 years 100 million. Why? Because of Boras and the trashy market. I would rather see that money go to Kimbrel (8 or 9 million) and Chapman (5-6 mil) plus some traded outfielder.
Not sure I’d call the Rangers outfield bad. García, in right field, is a well above average defender, coming off of a 100 RBI season. Tavares and Thompson are both excellent defensively, which is kind of important for a center fielder. It’s just left field that is “undetermined”, at this point.
I strongly agree that Garcia is a great player. Tampa’s Randy is projected with way more value than him on baseballtradevalues.com, but they are basically the same player. With that said, I think defense in general, and especially on Bref, is overrated and runs from defense need to be divided by 2. There is no way Kiner-Falefa, Simmons, Zobrist, and Kevin Kiermaier can be that valuable when all they do is play defense. They may have higher range, but shortening the lineup is contagious, while defense doesn’t impact others as much. I’d say they have maybe 1.5 outfielders if you say Bubba Thompson and Leody combine to be half-decent. They still need someone for sure.
@HalfromVA I forgot to say how disturbed I am that you mentioned RBIs as the only stat. 20-20 season, good defense, and you focus on that? OPS was nice too
I think conforto would be a great fit for you guys, and I have faith he’ll come back close to what he was. He weirdly has a bad reputation when he had similar numbers to Nimmo, who everyone loves. Strong OBP, better SLG. I get the hesitation bc of the injury, but when he came back from the first shoulder surgery, he wasn’t great but an 800 ops w 28hr, which would be a big upgrade for the TX OF right?
Yes, but then that 20 million (Boras rate) could instead go towards a few good relievers and arb money for a guy they trade for (Happ, Reynolds, or some Orioles’ guys). It’s more about the $ than anything. If he wants less than Gallo’s 11, I’d love it. If he wants what Pederson got on a QO, no way.
Agreed. If the Rangers could get Conforto somewhere in the 2year, 15 -20 mil range, I’d be ok with that , but the way things are going this winter, I don’t see that happening. Someone will overpay.
Well he’s way better than gallo, so he’ll get more than 1-11. I figured you guys weren’t watching the spending that closely where something like 1-15 would prevent you from also bolstering the BP. I’m also doubting any team has the stomach to go much beyond that w conforto, but who knows w these crazy contracts this winter.
They average basically the same WAR and WAA on Bref. Gallo’s last 1.5 seasons were bad and Conforto just didn’t play, so those are basically a wash. Gallo is a much better runner, defender (not too helpful, but still), better at walking, and he is a pull type hitter who should gain much more than Conforto. Gallo’s hard hit ball percentage and pull rates are way higher, so he should benefit more. I did see the contracts guys like Benintendi, Haniger, Bellinger, Pederson, Diaz, Montero, Nick Martinez, and Ronert Suarez (Padres) got. I know Texas lost like 30 million in dead weight and a few salaries, plus they got some cash, but they added a net of 20 mil from Pérez, 30 mil this year from deGrom, 12.5 from Heaney, and 2.5 from Odorizzi after cash. Add arb raises and you are at +35 already. They likely won’t blow that much cash on Conforto. Even the overpaid relievers didn’t get quite that much. Even if you say 15 for Conforto and 7-8 for solid relievers, that is still 2 vs 1. It hedges the risk, and this team was 15-35 in 1 run games. BP help matters.
It’s really not that close if Conforto is near healthy. His last three seasons, including his lousy 2021, was 259-365-459 w/ a 123 OPS+ and a 125 WRC+. Again, if he’s close to that form, he’s a big step up over gallo, whose last three are 183-319-409 w/ a 101 OPS+ and 104 WRC+. His lows are just sooo low. I get it though, BP is huge and you guys were brutal in 1-run games. Frankly, I liked Haniger as a RH bat for you, and was surprised he went to SF.
He was one of my top guys, but so was deGrom. I’ll take it overall in a heartbeat. The Heaney signing and Odorizzi trade (just 2.5 million this year including cash paid) were great too.
Yeah and I seriously thought you’d be in on rodon or Bassitt too, but can’t complain w degrom-Heaney. I do still think another OF bat would help.
It’s a big-spending market, but Boras asking for a hefty guarantee and an opt-out seems aggressive. Conforto is the type of player you don’t do that for–you have no idea whether his bat will recover. But, let’s see what type of market develops.
An opt-out makes it low-risk, high reward for Conforto, but high-risk, low reward for the team. This is assuming he gets something close to what Pederson and Perez got via QOs. If some team pays close to that sum, they better get something as a reward. They can’t even QO him and get a pick. At least Bellinger can net a pick. That Verlander deal that Conforto wants to model his deal after was already a huge risk that somehow paid off for Houston. However, one good past result doesn’t predict the future. Buyer beware!
Looking forward to another 62-100 finish for the Ballyhoo. With Donnie gone not sure if I can even watch anymore. What a bunch of tools running that team. “How to pretend to want to win” for Dummies available today on Amazon…
Ballyhoo haven’t heard that one before
1/5m outta get it done.
Frankly, the structure he is looking for would bug the hell out of me. Basically, he wants to be guaranteed a lot of money in case he is shot, but if it turns out he isn’t, then he wants to get right back out there. So, win-win for him, but pretty much all downside for the team signing him.
Maybe if you heavily backload the deal, so he gets something like $2 million in year one, then gets the bulk of the contract after that if he doesn’t opt out- that way, there at least is some upside for the signing team in that if he opts out, they got 1 year of good production on the cheap.
For reasons beyond comprehension, Marlins GM Ng is unable to complete deals for players to join the club. Let’s see how she does with Conforto, as so far she’s being a complete failure.