Next week’s Winter Meetings are expected to open the floodgates for some hot stove activity, and among the free agents drawing substantial interest leading up to those meetings is longtime Mariners outfielder Mitch Haniger. The 31-year-old (32 next month) has a “robust” market, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, and colleague Buster Olney tweets that there’s a growing belief he’ll be able to secure a three-year contract — perhaps in the vicinity of $15MM per year.
Haniger has, to this point in the offseason, been linked to each of the Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Giants, Rangers and the Mariners, who are open to adding another outfielder even after acquiring Teoscar Hernandez from the Blue Jays last month. The Halos’ interest, it should be noted, was reported prior to their acquisition of Hunter Renfroe. It seems likely that move probably put an end to their pursuit of Haniger; the Angels also have Mike Trout and Taylor Ward locked into outfield spots and Shohei Ohtani at DH, of course.
Even presuming the Angels are out of the running, that’d leave at least five teams — and quite likely a few more — in the mix for Haniger, who missed substantial time this season due to a high ankle sprain but has generally been an above-average to excellent hitter when healthy enough to take the field. Dating back to 2017, Haniger boasts a .263/.337/.480 batting line — 24% better than league average by measure of wRC+, which weights for his pitcher-friendly home park. Haniger belted 39 home runs in a season as recently as 2021 and is one of the few outfielders on this offseason’s market who can be viewed as a viable 30-homer threat.
Of course, the knock on Haniger has been his ability to remain on the field — or rather, his lack thereof. Haniger’s 2019 season was cut short when he sustained a ruptured testicle after a poorly placed foul ball off his own bat. Just two months later, while rehabbing from the subsequent surgery, Haniger experienced back discomfort and learned that he’d torn an adductor muscle off the bone. The fallout from that second injury snowballed and ultimately saw Haniger require core muscle/hernia surgery and a microdiscectomy operation.
It was one of the more bizarre and also fluky sequences of injuries for any player in recent memory, but the end result was still a 22-month absence from the playing field for Haniger. He returned with that aforementioned 39-homer campaign, however, and has posted a combined .251/.316/.47o slash with 50 homers in 938 trips to the plate since coming back from that nightmarish run of health troubles. Haniger’s once-premium defensive ratings dipped in 2021, but he posted positive marks in both Defensive Runs Saved (3) and Outs Above Average (2) in this year’s small sample of 396 innings.
Heading into the offseason, MLBTR ranked Haniger 20th on our Top 50 Free Agent list, predicting a three-year contract at an annual rate of $13MM. Olney’s report suggests that Haniger’s market could be reaching if not pushing a bit beyond that level. If interest is indeed ramping up to that extent, it stands to reason that Haniger could be one of many free agents to come off the board during next week’s Winter Meetings or shortly thereafter.
Efrin chose Tampa and Abreu Houston !! Bloom miss everytime
i’m not a huge Bloom fan. not a detractor. Only a handful of FA’s have signed to this point. With three months until the start of spring training, lets give him a bit more time before nailing him to the barn.
He’s had his time!!! its clearly shows now that players & fans have lost “trust” with this management. He cant even keep homegrown talent, lure free agents, or fans in the stadium, When a team has chemistry, it helps them win regardless of talent . This team is was very talented but they couldn’t win because the lack of chemistry,
He can’t keep homegrown talent because there is obviously a mandate about payroll. You think he’s just letting Xander and possibly Devers leave for no reason? There are clearly budgetary constraints.
“Where am I?
And why am I in this handbasket?”
He’s trying to build a team that will be sustainable long term and it starts with the minors. His draft picks are still developing. Blame ownership for not spending more.
Bloom has flexibility to use money wisely. If your statement is true then he wouldn’t have signed Story or made a dumb trade to put them over the luxury tax last season.
I was for this method the last 2 seasons. They have 80 mill off the books and he’s still low balling. This puts a sour taste in players mouths so they move on.
What he’s traded for and bumped up to the majors has failed so far. All prospects that have developed well enough to play on the team is from DD.
Nothing wrong with the Story signing.
Do you understand baseball? Prospects take 4 to 7 years to develop. Since Bloom has only been here for 3 years, there has been enough time for many to develop. Since DD was here more before that, of course he would have more players on the team.
But, who has DD drafted/signed in that is knocking your socks off, and helping the team right now? Sale, Chavez, Houck, Dalbec? That is garbage for 4 years of drafting and signings. (Im sure theres a name or two that Im forgetting, whoever it is, isnt going to tip the scales).
He lowballed who? A 37yo DH and a Nick Pivetta clone? If he signed either one, you’d be complaining about that too.
Don’t need to know much about baseball to see the obvious. As for Story, that was a horrible singing unless you like paying for IL. Don’t give me that we can’t predict IL stints because Story already had the history.
Bloom Doomed this team & fan base!
(Just an opinion) lol
“All prospects that have developed well enough to play on the team is from DD.”
“Don’t need to know much about baseball to see the obvious.”
That a GM who’s prospects have 7 years to develop should have more players on the big league roster than a GM who’s prospects had 3 years to develop.
Somehow you don’t understand it. Its not rocket science.
“Don’t give me that we can’t predict IL stints because Story already had the history.”
He did? When was that? Are you mixing up Sale with Story. They both start with an ‘S’. Trevor Story had been pretty healthy before coming to the Red Sox.
Edgar and Dave…Your an M’s gift basket…
Obviously? Can you provide “said mandate?” Please be the one guy that can back this statement.
You clearly don’t understand it either you dolt.
It sounds like the failed Tigers rebuild. Seven years of crap playing AAAA players and millions of dollars paying a injured and washed up Miguel Cabrera. That being said, the new regime under Scott Harris has no choice but to embark on yet another rebuild.
It really sucks to be a
Detroit Tigers fan right now.
Bobby – Spring training starts in 2 1/2 months.
My gut tells me these GM meetings are where Mr. Bloom wilts or blooms.. They have the prospects to get talent, and the cash to supplement said talent. We’re about to see if Bloom has any talent himself.
When did the Twins fall off the list?
The 31-year-old (32 next month) has a “robust” market, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan,
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Does anyone recall an article starting off with “so-and-so has a slow-developing market”? Seems like every article suggests that every FA is going to do really well.
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Where there’s interest, there’s a signing. Breaking: not many teams sign players they are not interested in.
Sportswriter write…. a lot of the bs is not true. I believe almost nothing I read on this site until it says so-n-so SIGNED.
The ‘normal’ media outlets are now nothing but propaganda…..
The Green Monster would do wonders for Mitch.
A cup would do wonders for him
I think he was wearing one and still got it when that happened. That guy has incredibly bad luck.
He was wearing one
Seems a lot like Renfroe! Might as well have continued to pay him!
Renfroe played in more games this past season than Haniger, has the past three seasons combined.
Haniger played 157 in 2021…
Renfroe has been traded 4 times in the past 4 seasons. Dont you think there might be something more to it than just his OPS.
I think any team would like to have 29 home runs from an outfielder. Who has a lot of throwing put outs. Cannon for a throwing arm.
Nah, Haniger is an upgrade over Renfroe. Haniger gets on base more often, has a higher OPS+ (+12), higher bWAR (+4.8). Renfroe hits more HRs, but that’s about it. I’d rather have Haniger, he’s the more complete player.
tad2b13
You need to go read the baseball book for dummies
Then I guess a lot of baseball execs need to read that too. There’s a lot more interest in teams in Haniger around MLB than Renfroe. But then I guess you know more than they do.
Reports are Haniger looking for a 3 year deal between 10 to 15 million a year or 11 million for 1 year Renfroe?
Why would you want to get stuck on a three-year deal with Haniger if Haniger if looking for a one-year deal, he would already have been signed
This was about Renfroe being equal to Haniger. I disputed that statistically, and still do. If Renfroe was equal to Haniger, he would already be signed. if as you say, he was amenable to a 1 year deal.
As the article states it’s believed that Haniger can get 3 years at about $15M per. Whether that’s a smart thing to do that is unknown. All FAs are a gamble to some extent or another. But I’m pretty sure that no team thinks that highly of Renfroe that they would offer him that.
But if the need was there, and I had to choose between Haniger at 3/15, or Renfroe at 1/11, I’ll choose Haniger. More upside, and $15M is not an amount that will financially hamstring a team.
Haniger will be some teams consolation signing if they don’t get Judge. Mariners should have given him the QO, very short sighted.
Haniger would if jumped on the 20 million offer without a doubt that’s why I don’t think the Mariners are really in the running to sign him especially if it’s a 3 year contract.
I can’t see Haniger getting more than 2 year $24 million. While I would of loved the M’s to resign him he wasn’t worth the QO.
I could see 3/40 vicinity just because he’s generally been very productive when healthy… it’s those last two words that get a little dicey
That’s a fair offer but I would be willing to go three years 45000,000 if it were my money
I’m a huge Haniger fan, but no way on the QO!
Nice replacement for Bellinger!!
Can’t believe the balls on this guy
Ball*
How will the Dodgers have room with Taylor in left, Judge in Center and Betts in Right?
Don’t know much about him but, can he play CF? I wouldn’t mind if the cubs signed him. Although it would have to be short term since PCA will be called at the latest 2024. Hopefully he rakes in ST and earns a spot for ’23
Mitch can share the rehab room with Sale….
I’m disappointed the Mets aren’t interested in Haniger, then sign a more defensive-minded CF, and rotate.
The only negative is that Haniger bats right-handed, and so does Marte and Canha.
The Mets should be more focused on Andrew Benintendi, but I like Haniger.
I’m with you, I’ve been saying they should be in on Haniger and have him split time between DH and OF. Between him, Marte, Nimmo (if they re-sign him) and Canha, there’s more than enough to go around, especially since most of them have injury histories. I personally would like conforto back because they need a lefty. I don’t like benintendi at all. Singles hitter and not much else at this point.
I wish the Tigers would sign this guy, they could use him.
If the Braves were to sign Swanson and Haniger they could literally call their offseason complete
They say they’re willing to be a top payroll, these aren’t even extravagant spending asks, and would prove they mean what they say while allowing them to come to the new season with no glaring holes.
I looked up ripping the the abductor muscle from the bone, and all I gotta say is, OUCH!!!
That being said…
I feel like whoever signs Mitch Haniger is going to end up with a massive overpay. I could be wrong on that though. Having such a recent injury history should limit the salary and years, but teams have made those mistakes before.
But in the case of the Angels, I could still them signing him, hoping they get the younger, pre-surgery Mitch Haniger while still having Taylor Ward on their roster as insurance.
This is something they e done before. You have to go all the way back to when they acquired Maicer Izturis and Juan Rivera for Jose Guillen. Rivera served as the Angels’ fourth outfielder for several years, until after 2010 when they traded him and Mike Napoli for Vernon Wells.
Rivera was a guy who was always there to fill in anytime there was a hole in the Angels OF. We’re talking a fourth outfielder who could hit .260/.320 and give the Halos 15+ HR when healthy.
I can see the Angels signing Mitch Haniger and putting Taylor Ward into that same role. It’s taken a long time for Ward to finally show why the Angeks drafted him in the first round. But he’s getting closer to 30 already and his clock is ticking.
I think it would be a smart move to bring in Haniger and just keep Ward for depth. Off days and injuries will open a decent amount of playing time over the course of a full season. With that, the Halos would get plenty of depth in their OF, after they just added the depth they need in their IF.
In other words, the Angeks would continue to create the bench depth they’ve been sorely lacking, and the kind of depth that I always look back to their ‘02-‘09 run as a template for what has worked for the Angels in their most successful years.
So, despite the recent injury history, I say go for it and outbid the rest.
No don’t spend the money on Haniger use it on a closer or another starting pitcher I could live with the Angels, infield and outfield, but I’d like to see them inquire a closer