The Cubs have agreed to sign Trey Mancini to a two-year contract, according to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers (Twitter link). Mancini, a client of the Frontline agency, can opt out of the deal following the 2023 season if he amasses at least 350 plate appearances in the first year of the contract, 670 The Score’s Bruce Levine reports (via Twitter). Also from Levine, Mancini will earn $14MM in guaranteed money over the two years of the deal, and another $7MM is available in bonus clauses related to plate appearances.
Reports linking Mancini to the Cubs first surfaced in December, and even though Chicago addressed its first base need by signing Eric Hosmer just over a week ago, the Wrigleyville club maintained its interest in Mancini’s services. Of course, Mancini can also play both corner outfield spots in addition to first base, and Mancini’s right-handed bat provides a nice complement to lefty-swingers Hosmer and Matt Mervis in the first base/DH mix.
As Rogers indicated in a follow-up tweet, Mervis might now be slated to begin 2023 in Triple-A, rather than immediately step into a regular role in the Cubs lineup in his first taste of MLB action. Mervis is entering only his third season of affiliated baseball, and while Mervis more or less came out of nowhere to shred minor league pitching in 2022, it looks like the Cubs would prefer to ease Mervis into the big leagues, and rely more on established veterans like Mancini and Hosmer at least in the early part of the 2023 campaign.
After spending his entire career with the Orioles, Mancini is now playing for his third organization in less than six months, following the trade deadline move that sent Mancini from Baltimore to Houston. Mancini’s time with the Astros paid off in the biggest form possible once Houston captured the World Series, though Mancini himself wasn’t a big part of that push to the championship. Mancini hit only .176/.258/.364 over 186 plate appearances with the Astros during the regular season, and then had only a single hit over 24 PA in the playoffs.
With this underwhelming finish in mind, it isn’t surprising that Mancini and his representatives sought out an opt-out clause, as a more impressive platform year could set Mancini up nicely for a pricier contract next winter. Mancini turns 31 in March, but even if he re-enters the market next winter in advance of his age-32 season, the veteran should still be in position to land a solid multi-year commitment if he returns to his old form. Mancini hasn’t been in that top form since 2019, though obviously some very difficult circumstances have interfered in his career path.
After missing the entire 2020 season due to a battle with Stage 3 colon cancer, Mancini played in 147 games with the Orioles in 2021, winning AL Comeback Player Of The Year honors for his inspirational return. Mancini got off to a strong start at the plate that year before fading down the stretch, as he had to get re-acclimated after missing a full season. Mancini’s traditionally strong production at Camden Yards took a dip, as the right-handed hitter was naturally impacted by the Orioles’ decision to move back the left-field fences prior to the 2022 season. The result was a modest .283/.338/.411 slash line over 198 PA at Camden Yards last year, well below his career norms.
All in all, Mancini has hit .247/.323/.412 over 1203 PA since the start of the 2021 campaign, translating to a 104 wRC+ that is only slightly above the league average. Between the new dimensions in Baltimore and the midseason adjustment to playing in Houston, Mancini’s bat could re-awaken simply by playing his home games in the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. In addition, Mancini has now had a full and normal offseason, as even last winter’s preparations were interrupted by the lockout.
It has been a busy offseason for Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who has aggressively added veteran talent in order to turn the Cubs back towards contention after most of the last two seasons were spent in a rebuild. Like Mancini’s deal, most of the contracts have been shorter-term arrangements, such as a one-year deal with Cody Bellinger, or the Hosmer signing for a minimum salary (since the Padres are still on the hook for the remainder of Hosmer’s contract).
Beyond these shorter deals, Chicago also splurged in inking Dansby Swanson to a seven-year, $177MM contract and Jameson Taillon to a four-year deal worth $68MM. Roster Resource projected the Cubs for roughly a $176.6MM payroll before Mancini’s $7MM average annual value was added to the mix, so there could be more spending capacity for further moves considering the Cubs spent well over the $200MM mark as recently as 2019.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
When they already have Hosmer? Seems like overkill.
Nice platoon to have
Trey Mancini and Eric Hosmer won’t be a strict 1B platoon with plenty of PA’s available at the DH position. Mancini also has the added versatility to fill in at a corner outfield spot when needed. Each will be in the lineup together more often than not. The Cubs are also adding two high quality veteran leaders to their clubhouse. The team won’t be compelled to rush 1B prospect Matt Mervis who had a breakout 2022 season across 3 minor league levels after struggling mightily during his 2021 professional debut.
…mmhmm.
Exactly, it’s too much pressure to exert on a young player. The Cubs must be taken seriously for a playoff spot. The new free agents were thrilled more than I’ve would have expected! Try to catch the reruns of the Cubs convention.
Mancini is a legitimate DH. it’s a job that sounds simple but isn’t for everyone. Hosmer makes 720 grand. Mancini makes 7 million. Guess which one goes when Mervis makes it up? Hmmmmmmm
Hosmer and Mancini are not names you expect on a serious playoff contender. They are league average platoon candidates at what should be a position of offensive strength.
Obviously the Cubs won’t be able to keep Hosmer, Mervis and Mancini at the same time. Not enough roster space. I’d rather see Mervis go down to Iowa and play everyday than DH up here and waste away. Bellinger and Wisdom can also play 1B so the position is about as stocked as anybody in baseball so not sure what you’re trying to say. It is a position of strength.
I suppose Houston was being cavalier about their playoff chances when they traded for Mancini last year.
Good Pickup! Hosmer won’t last until 15 May.
I can’t tell you how much I love this signing for my Cubbies. I also like the Hosmer and Taillon signings also. Who says that this team can’t be in contention in 2023? If not they certainly are close. Ian Happ is going to have an excellent year this year.
AaronSapoznik10 hours ago
The Cubs are also adding two high quality veteran leaders to their clubhouse.
===========================
What makes you think Hosmer is a high-quality leader?
Stymee- didn’t Houston trade for Mancini last year?
Because the Cubs front office has valued this trait since the Theo Epstein era began and continues it under his protege and heir Jed Hoyer. They put a premium on vetting players with this quality.
Eric Hosmer also has a resume which includes two deep postseason runs with the Royals that culminated in a 2015 World Series ring. He had a teammate on that 2015 championship team who also won a ring with the Cubs in 2016, free agent swiss army knife Ben Zobrist. The first major free agent signing by the Cubs was for a familiar face from their Red Sox days, two time World Series champ Jon Lester who also earned a third ring with the Cubs in 2016. Hosmer also appeared in the 2020 postseason with the Padres.
The ultimate proof that the Cubs value veteran leadership is in their most recent managerial hire. David Ross joined Jon Lester as a Cubs free agent signing from Boston ahead of the 2015 season. Ross earned a ring with the Red Sox in 2013 and added another with the Cubs in 2016. The Cubs and their fans hope that championship trend will continue with Ross as the manager.
Everyone keeps pinning their hopes on Mervis but he was never a highly touted prospect. He had a breakout year but he may never make it, who knows?
I do. I’ve seen him play. Have you?
Mancini becomes very un-league average when you overlay his spray chart against Wrigley.
I take issue with the writer’s estimate of the Cub payroll. With Mancini they’re currently at over $221 vs a cap of $233. They’ll look to sign a solid bullpen guy and then go over the cap if need be in mid season if things are clicking.
That depends entirely on Mervis. Great problem to have.
The Cubs have already reset the Luxury Tax penalties the last 2 years. They will be much more likely to go over the tax number this year, Because they will reset it again next year because of what comes off.
Heyward 22 million
Hendricks 14 million
Bellinger- 17 million ( maybe)
Stroman 22 million ( maybe)
Happ- 11 million
That’s 86 million coming off with the maybe’s being candidates to re sign. If they want them back, They’ll have options Plus the tax goes up next year and I doubt Happ and Bellinger BOTH come back as Canario, PCA, Davis and Velasquez will be cheaper options. I think they move on from Stroman whether he opts in or not. After this year they’ll trade him if he opts in.
Hosmer was a good Clubhouse leader while here in San Diego until his trade tantrum. Kept a healthy culture with the young guys. He’ll be a good clubhouse addition for the Cubs.
⁹Exactly. Hosmer is a great insurance policy and can be cut loose any time, letting the Padres continue to pay him.I would not be surprised if he’s gone by June.
They absolutely should not shed Happ and hiss 11mil. They should extend him at least 5 years at 15-18mul aav. He’s one of the best switch hitters in baseball. And after being snubbed the last 3 years with the GG he finally won a GG
The whole South Bend OF should start in AA this year. PCA, Nwogu, Caissie, and Pinango. In 2024 they’ll be in AAA or ready for the bigs. Nwogu, Caissie are big power bats. Throw in Davis, Canario( Who should be fully recovered, Bellinger( Maybe) and Suzuki I don’t see much room for a 15 million dollar guy who knocks in 70 runs and hits .270, Like most of the guys on this site do. I fully expect PCA to be Manning CF in 2024 and Suzuki in RF. So that leaves Caissie, Davis, Canario, Nwogu, Pinango for 1 OF spot that will be much cheaper and potentially better. Somebody will step up, It’s the great thing about competition. Plus Alcantara looks like a stud and could rise fast. It’s OK I can take the hate for trying to get rid of Happ. I have no idea why everybody thinks he’s so great. I got roasted on the basketball site for saying the Bulls should trade LaVine last year because he’s not a max player and he has a bad knee and they really could of used the assets not to mention the 37 million a year to better use but ask everybody now as they’re already calling for him to be traded after a half year. 19-24 and going nowhere fast and now he’s harder to trade than last year when he was making half that. Good Luck. Happ’s value is high right now, If they wait they’ll be making a mistake, trust me.
Hos hasn’t been good in a long time. DH abs available for both of them if they both do hit anyhow.
Not a bad add.
Hosmer has been a slightly better hitter the last 2 seasons.
He has been a slightly worse defensive player.
He has played many more games.
Mancini is way better than Hosmer so who cares- if they were able to get him at their price then I think this is a great pickup.
Mancini is not way better than Hosmer. He’s marginally better. Specifically 4 points of wRC+ for their career’s better. In fact both posted the same wRC+ last season, 104. I’m sure someone will suggest Mancini can play the OF, which makes him referable, but as the numbers show, he’s brutal with the glove. Clearly, given their platoon splits, this is a 1B platoon, that actually might pan out.
With all of the off season activity, the cubs have really only signed on player who will help them offensively and defensively:Swanson. The rest of the adds are mid-tier at best. Hosmer, Mancini, Bellinger and Barnhart can’t hit, but as the article said Mancini’s bat could re-awaken in the friendly confines of Wrigley field. It seems everybody knows that park is a bandbox.
True when the wind is blowing out
Only when the wind is blowing out.
Keep hating on em, avenger65.. I think you may be their good luck charm!
No it’s not. That is a very uninformed opinion that goes back decades. When the wind blows in, that park is so hard to hit in, not to mention the cold weather. Check the stats – Wrigley isn’t up there in terms of HR by opponents
My mother is way better than Hosmer. And she’s 84 and has an artificial knee. But she is LH.
They are building a first base rotation.
Us senior citizens need JOBS too!
He’s 31. lol
Hosmer is on a league minimum deal. If he doesn’t produce within May. They’ll give him the boot. I love this signing
Yeah, Hosmer and the $700k is a non-issue. He can be dropped at anytime if he’s not giving us any value, especially if Mervis has any sort of success in his rookie season.
lol Hosmer might not even make the opening day roster. Definitely not overkill.
Nice pick up l like it
FYI the NL has a DH now
Don’t get me started on the fact the NL doesn’t play real baseball anymore.
That’s funny. Without the DH there’s no Albert Pujols story. Without the DH Philadelphia doesn’t get into the World Series because Bryce Harper wouldn’t be able to bat. Hate the DH but it does allow for drama.
Not having the DH allows for much more late game PH heroics, your arguments meh at best
No sweat. The National League added the stupid DH, remember?
I like this signing. Tells me regardless if Mervis hit 10 Homer’s in spring ball. Our Cubs will go with trey and Hosmer. At 1st and dh.. Maybe wisdom
I am hoping they give Morel a legit shot at 3rd, he was amazing filling in at short stop. I do not want the next ARod, maybe? Being blocked nor forgotten. He cannot be no worse at 3rd than Wisdon or anyone they have lined up at this point. He plays with passion and can get after it. My up votes for: morel at 3rd, Swanson at short, Horner at 2nd, and Hosmer and trey sharing 1st. Bellinger in center surrounded by Happ and Suzuki. I’ll take that defense every day.
Lots of decent player pickups for the Cubs. Should be a borderline .500 team.
I guess they win around 86 games. May even be a WC team.
The Cubs best bet for the postseason will be to win their division. It will be difficult for them to claim an NL wild card spot with the balanced 2023 schedule, three very strong teams in the NL East and two more in the West.
I agree Aaron but I don’t think they did enough to pass St Louis.
I’d predict 3rd place behind the Cards & Brewers as it stands today. Overall, lots of activity for not that much gain.
Cbr
I think Cubs have a better chance winning the division than being a WC. Mets Atlanta Philly LA and SD all look like 90 win teams. Dirty birds and brew crew could be in 80-90 range.
I agree on the win total, to me the Cubs look like a team who can max out at 86 wins and should win at the least 80 games. Much like most of their signings, they are a high floor/low ceiling team but they will have a lot of depth.
The problem is, I don’t see enough “impact” potential to see the Cubs make a huge jump to playoff contender. Not unless Bellinger regains his early MVP production and Swanson makes a slight jump moving from Atlanta to a more hitter friendly park and division.
Thus is the return to competition. 2024, contenders again. PCA and possibly others added with other possible FA. The hurt is over, the fun will be back. And, The Mets suck. Thought I’d throw that in.
This sounds like a platoon at 1B or they will use Mancini at 1B and DH.
More minor league seasoning for Mervis. Probably not a bad idea
Never Nervous Mervis will be playing for the Cubs by mid-June at the latest. This kid was a phenom last year and should continue to prove he’s ready for a MLB promotion. It will be hard for Chicago to carry all 3 players on the roster so Hosmer will most likely be DFA’d to make way for him once he’s ready.
When Mervis gets there, the bench becomes:
– whichever one of Hosmer/Mancini isn’t starting
– whichever catcher isn’t starting
– whichever 3B (Morel/Wisdom) isn’t starting
– either Mastrobouni or McKinstry.
Mastrobouni or Morel is the backup CF.
Nice thinking however, I wish we would stop with the McKinstry charity stuff. Let’s do better.
Madrigal will be here before McKinstry If they can’t find a decent deal for Madrigal. Mastrobouni will be here before McKinstry because he still has options and can be sent down without waivers .Cubs will carry 5 OF. Bellinger, Suzuki, Happ, Morel and either Velasquez or Davis with Davis probably going down to prove he can stay healthy. So you have Morel, Velasquez, Barnhart, Madrigal or McKinstry, =12 hitters and 14 P’s, At least in the beginning barring injuries. The only decision is if they carry 13 hitters or not. Pitching is usually a bit rocky early so I’m thinking 14 P’s until it warms up. Hosmer and Mancini should be playing together early at 1B and DH however Ross wants to do it. Probably take turns until they come to their senses and bring up Mervis. It’s a shame Hosmer is in the way now.
I don’t see Velasquez making it. Mastrobouni played a lot of CF and RF at AAA last year, and Morel can obviously play CF too.
I do see a trade of some sort of pieces to a more rebuilding club outside the division once the 60 day IL opens up. Washington, Oakland, even Boston could all be interested in the Cubs’ non-prospect hitters 14-18 (although the Cubs will have to donate money to unload Bote).
Hosmer is insurance and probably won’t be around by June 1.
Your right BrickH, Velazquez will be in Iowa to start the season. With the addition of Mancini, it sort of obligates the Cubs to keep both Hosmer and Mancini on the opening day roster. Morel and Mancini will be first options in the OF.
If the Cubs had already signed Mancini, I don’t believe Hosmer would be here. Hosmer signing sort of hurts the opportunities for guys like Mervis, Velazquez and Darius Hill. Davis will need to accumulate ABs at Iowa this year to make up for lost time.
Also, isn’t there a new rule, that you can only carry a max of 13 pitchers? I could be mistaken.
Aloha folks, is someone getting traded? I thought Hosmer and eventually Mervis platooning at 1st. Then it’s Happ, Bellinger and Suzuki. Well, Trey has played over 200 games in LF and 100 in RF. Is he going to be the 4th OF? Interesting. Mahalo
Happ? Maybe, that’s just optimistic thinking, though.
Happ to the Yankees. I heard it straight from My Dreams.
No way Clipper
I don’t think so either…. That was the whole dreams part of it. But a guy can hope can’t he?
lol I appreciated your humor
I only meant no way in the sense that, I don’t want the damn Yankees to get another great player! Lol
In all seriousness, what’s it look like out there come opening day, Clipper? Hicks/Bader/Judge? Great defense out there on paper with that. Hicks has always been a great per game guy, just can’t stay healthy.
And then you have Cabrera. I am interested to see what happens with IKF. He should be a starting SS or 2b somewhere…and when he plays that pushes Oswaldo to the outfield primarily…no?
Ooof, Sodomojo, great questions. First, I hope it’s not Hicks in LF. His production has declined a lot, including his strongest asset, his plate discipline. Honestly, he’s not starter-level, but a fine bench player. His slugging was like .350 or something horrible. As of right now, it’s a battle between Hicks/Ortega/Cabrera for LF. If they don’t strike lightening in a bottle with Ortega or Hicks, I see a mid-season trade.
As far as IKF, I like him a lot as a UTL guy and I think that’s where he will be. Peraza is a premium defender at SS so I believe he will start there.
Knowing the Yankees it will likely be Cabrera in LF though.
Good stuff man.
I am not keen to that Ortega dude and haven’t seen Peraza play yet at all, but even though I think you guys are likely fine out there with what you have, given the top to bottom solidity of the lineup; it still looks to me like an OF that Cash would be looking to add to, or consolidate into a bigger name. Also considering, probably going to have a lot of WAR to make up for since Judge will probably hit 20 less HR’s (the horror)!
I am keeping my eye on Bader. Could be a sneaky, sneaky ass player. He has shown the ability to hit 15 out; what if he can get that to 20 playing everyday, and then also gets you 20 steals and a gold glove?
*playing everyday in Yankee Stadium
Yeah, I totally agree with you. I love Bader on the Yankees. He’s always hustling, great defender, was super clutch in the playoffs, and has an awesome attitude. I hope they extend him.
Peraza is super, super smooth at SS. His play is just effortless. Now, how would he compare to a guy like Nico? I don’t know because we have been stuck with subpar SS for the past two seasons. So, when Peraza played he looked like a GG comparatively. But, he’s universally recognized as an excellent defender. He also has pop and his slash in the minors was impressive. He is not known for or expected to have much above average offense though, which is fine if he’s as good as they think he will be defensively.
love these back and forth comments, really awesome to see. I heard a possibility of IKF MAYBE looking to be traded to the Sox, since they’re in dire need now of a ss, and the Yankees having basically 3. it would be good to see… as far as the return I’m not sure. but it would definitely help. happy to the Yankees and a rumor of hicks and some prospects would make this a no-brainer. time will tell though, there are some smart options available.
Damn Yankees? Sounds like a play or something.
Lola gets it.
@YankeeClipper, knowing the Yankees, it’s going to be Hicks. 🙂
I really think Cabrera’s value is he can play everywhere, so I don’t want him locked into LF.
Pereza is a plus-plus defender at SS. He’s going to have to look really bad during ST for him not to get the starting job. Here’s a question though. Let’s say you could get Happ for a package that includes Peraza, but you then have to put IKF at SS for a half a season until Volpe is hopefully ready. Would you do it?
L99: Of course it takes a fellow Yankees fan to pose an impossible question – haha.
Oh man, I’ll be completely honest here, I could probably stomach it if I knew Volpe was going to be solid at SS and was definitely coming up. Why? Because IKF at SS hurts the team some, but not nearly as bad as Hicks does, imho.
What are your thoughts?
Let’s say you could get Happ for a package that includes Peraza,
=========================
Pure robbery.
I was hoping you could answer for me! I’m not sure. I’d feel better if the trade included an immediate extension. A season goes by so quickly that losing Peraza only to see Happ leave in free agency in six months would hurt. Part of me loves the idea of a very athletic DP combo up the middle with Peraza at SS and Volpe at 2B. This will be important with shifts now restricted.
L99: I agree there, my friend. I really think Peraza is underrated (and that’s a first for a Yankee prospect). He’s drawing more attention now because he may start at SS given the two years of controversy at that position, but I think he will be better than many realize, unlike so many other prospects we’ve seen come through the NY system in recent history.
I don’t know if you’ve heard this either, but a prospect talent evaluator, Duane (I can’t recall his last name offhand), said that Wells’ defense behind the plate has improved so much, he may provide league-average defense at the position, therefore he may stick. If he can, his offense would be incredible out of the backstop position.
What Lola wants, Lola gets.
Nailed it!
Exactly!
Couldn’t agree more.
That might actually happen.
I think it would cost Dominguez, that’s a lot for one year
Happ is on the Yankees for my mlb the show 22 rtts. I kinda wish they would somehow implement the no facial hair rule for the Yankees. If they allowed Matt Carpenter’s 70s porn stache (irl)then why not full beards?
I’d rather the cubs extend him but their FO doesn’t believe in giving extentions.
Hey Clipper if you have another Wesneski or Alcantara around it’s a done deal.
Hosmer will end up being the odd man out. I hope he does well of course but I kinda fully expect him to be fired by May
I thought since Mervis was not a pedigree guy that FO would not hold him back for service time, but at least this creates a spirited competition.
It would be an odd platoon at 1B with Eric Hosmer and Matt Mervis both hitting left-handed. Cody Bellinger also hits from the left side and is a capable first baseman if needed there. The Trey Mancini addition makes it all a moot point for now. Adding Mancini figures to significantly impact the playing time of 3B Patrick Wisdom at 1B.
Mancini is a great story with he’s just a league average bat
It can be a bit better than average, the real problem is, he not a clutch hitter
Clutch hitting not a thing
Thank you hammering Hank. This needs to be repeated here all the time. Clutch is the most over used term in sports.
Clutch is more often used than hustle, smarts, and ability to move runners up or knock them in.
It is basically baseball smarts, which not all of them have.
I think he can be a plus bat, he just had a hard time with that stupid wall change in Baltimore last year (Camden is literally the hardest park for a RHB) and then never really got locked in with Houston. It’s not his fault the Orioles chose to completely ruin their ballpark.
Combination of the short distance in left center at Wrigley and the huge scoreboard that blocks the wind when blowing in sure could be conducive to Mancini hitting 25-30 HRs.
It’s almost as if they’re trying to block Mervis. I thought the Cubs were in Chicago not Colorado.
Mervis has about 5 games at AAA. Relying on a guy to jump from AA to MLB and play every day would be foolish.
If Mervis plays better than Hosmer he will get his shot. Cubs have no investment in Hos.
Mervis has played 61 games at AAA.
Not to mention Morel made the jump from AA to MLB just last year.
Bro I think this is the third time this off-season I’ve caught you saying this in the comments. Mervis played wayyyy more games than 5 at AAA last year. A simple google search will prove that
Excellent pickup for CHC!
So Mervis starts in AAA now? Hmm.
If you’ve watched the cubs and how the front office have done things for over 10 years now, you haven’t been paying very good attention.
I guess I just thought it may be different this go around. It’s possible I got ahead of myself as I am excited to see Mervis in MLB.
Perhaps Hosmer/Mancini will be dealt at the deadline if the Cubs aren’t contending and at that point he should get the call.
I’m excited to see Mervis get his chance too. Just hoping his success last year wasn’t an aberration. IMO, he does have more to prove. I do think if he has a good spring and starts out in AAA and his strikeout rate is still down like he improved it last year and he’s hitting for average along with that power we will see him with the Cubs by the end of May or June. The best case scenario is that Mancini and Hosmer both do well enough to warrant playing time. But as long as Mervis does well enough to earn the promotion, Hosmer easily can take the back seat while Mancini bats in the DH spot. Of course there will be a roster issue, but I’d bet that will clear itself up with how everyone is playing and what the teams needs are whenever that all happens. Also, if we’re playing well enough there will have to be better juggling of the roster to keep that depth around for a run at the post season. And if the season turns to crap, then trade both Mancini and Hosmer of other teams want them.
Thought the cubs would still be in a complete rebuild, which could have see Happ playing elsewhere for high end prospects, but the Cubs are actually trying to have a chance
I really wanted him to end up on the Giants
Isn’t Patrick Wisdom just a younger version of Mancini?
Patrick Wisdom is older than Mancini.
Wisdom and Morel likely get most of their innings and opportunities, at 3B.
Mervis >> Mancini and Hosmer
Hopefully, they give Mervis a long leash and Hosmer gets treated like how he produces, barely replacement level. Just like older minor leaguers that get derailed by injury, Hosmer needs to be told “produce right away or you’re gone”, whatever small name recognition he has doesn’t translate to production.
Hosmer getting traded to the red sox
For Rafael Devers and Cash
Cubs are building a nice team. if belinger rebounds it will be a playoff type team
Mancini hasn’t been good in years
Wadz- Even if Mancini is lame he would be 3 times better than some of the guys last year. Ortega-Rivas-Hermosillo-McKinstry-Higgins were pretty Putrid.. If the Cubs had done this first there’s no way Hosmer comes here. He’ll be wanting out by May.
Being legit..they look 500ish as of now..
Padres fan here, but they look solid..and if things go their way? WCish..
The Trey Mancini rollercoaster must be fun. Going from the lows of the O’s, highs of the ‘Stros, then stops at the meh grey exit area of the Cubbies.
Wonder if anyone had this in the contest.
Love this signing. They are showing us they are trying to win a weak division. If they grab Chafin too this could be a surprisingly good year. Go Cubs Go!
Trey might go off in Wrigley..Not saying crazy style..but I could see him going .260/25/.330 for whatever stupid WAR bs that’d turn out to be…Always root for the dude..
Typical Cubs loading up on marshmallows to make smores.
Isn’t Mancini just Andrew Vaughn but can play the outfield?
CJML, Saying Mancini can play the OF is a bit of a stretch. Having played some games there, and doing so competently, are 2 different things. His -11 DRS and -24 OAA says he can’t really play the OF.
What’s wrong with s’mores?!
How can I have s’more of something if I haven’t had anything yet?
I feel bad for the White Sox. Their competitive window is so close to being shut that if one person farts in that room. Ya’ll in trouble
ChiSuxCity – The only things more idiotic than your comment are the two who liked it.
@ChiSox guy- The jealousy of these posts is so worth the read. Lol. Please keep making them. It makes it even better to be a Cubs fan compared to the other hometown curmudgeon option.
Quite an impressive depth signing by the Cubbies. If they nab either Chafin or Moore the team looks very solid with much more proven talent than the 2022 team… and that club finished the 2nd half eight wins over .500.
They will trade one of Hosmer or Mancini at the deadline and bring in Mash Mervis.
That would be a best case scenario for first base for the Cubs, but lots of things would have to play out just perfectly for that to happen. That means both Mancini and Hosmer would be playing well enough to actually be desired by other teams chasing the postseason. And further Mervis would have to continue where he left off last year. Truthfully I think he’ll be up sooner than the end of July if he’s playing well in AAA.
Hosmer has zero value. They’ll be smart to keep Mancini the entire season. There’s a 70% Hosmer is fired before the deadline.
Eric Hosmer had zero or underwater value under his past contract. That is no longer the case when he plays for a baseline MLB salary. The only team that Hosmer has negative value with would be the Padres who are still responsible for the remaining 3yrs/$39MM left on his most recent contract.
@Logjam-Lol yeah using absolutes about things always makes you more correct.
Logjammer, Actually Hosmer has more value than Mancini, at least in trade value. The BTV trade simulator has Hosmer with a median trade value of 0.6, and Mancini at -2.9.
I think we have now the making of a good team. Heck we have 8 starting Pitchers is you include Hendrix and I do not. 7 starters. Sigm Cfin and Moore and we are set in bullpen
Loaded!
The White Sux playoff run was impressive last year
This is rather unexpected, but I’ll take it!!
“2 years”/$22M: 1 year/$9.5M w/ $2.5M buyout on a $12.5M second season?
Cubs making some late great moves. Jed Hoyer doesn’t get enough credit.
Hi
Saw this one coming weeks ago. Saved the news for the Cubs convention.
Reading this thread makes me realize how few understand that there are about 1,600 abs a season between 1B/DH/OF combo platoons/time splits..and that’s without injuries..You split a guy like Trey who can play 1B, DH, LF, and RF, and everyone gets plenty with injuries factored in. Bet y’all that barring injury or collapse that Hosmer/Mancini both get 400+ AB’s on the Cubs roster as it stands.
The cubs depth is looking pretty solid across the board.
The fact that Trey has played the OF, does not mean he Should play the OF.
But he will. He not atrocious out there..he’s just not very good..and if you look around major league outfield’s almost every team has at least 1-2 of those who still get a lot of time out there.
FirstRoundAdiosMets, I disagree, Mancini is atrocious in the OF. He has -11 DRS and -24 OAA playing the OF. He’s a 1B/DH. He ranks 127th out of 137 qualified fielders since 2017.
Wishing him nothing but success.
I think the Reds did better with Wil Myers on a one year deal. Mancini is better than Myers or Hosmer, I just don’t like guaranteeing the second year
Reds won’t give more than a one year deal for a while, I imagine.
I disagree. Myers is best of those three, because he can actually field. Slightly better bat, also.
Hope you’re right. He should rake in GABP.
Curious who is getting DFA’d to make room for Trey
Trey Mancini’s roster addition could also be accommodated with an imminent trade. There’s been plenty of speculation regarding the availability of both 2B Nick Madrigal and INF Zach McKinstry with the FA signing of Dansby Swanson and the transition of 2022 SS Nico Hoerner to 2B.
The Cubs are also expected to add a veteran LHP to their thin bullpen mix of southpaws which would require an additional spot on their 40-man roster.
Madrigal and Wick to White Sox for a prospect not on the 40 man.
Cubs free up 2.75 million to sign Moore Or Chafin while leavening around 7 million CBT for mid season moves
Sox get their 2B and solid bullpen arm in Rowan Wick.
Dunk Dunkington;
Mr. Chafin opted out of a contract with the Tigers that would have paid him $7m this year.
Rucker or Mastrubuoni is my guess..maybe Mckinstry cuz they reported there have been calls about him.
Pretty sure the leash on Hosmer got a lot shorter with Mancini on board. First sign of a slump and Cubs will probably DFA him.
Moving out the fences in Baltimore hurt Mancini but he did quite well in Houston.
Wrigley should also be kind to Trey. This was a sneaky signing.
He had a great first two weeks with HOU. The rest of his season and postseaon was a huge struggle, outside of a key defensive play in the WS. Cubs seem like a good place for him to land as it’s reasonable to beat out Hosmer for playing time. Wish Trey all the best.
Mancini’s total time in Houston was woeful to say the least.
Cubs collecting like 5 of the same player heh. So a Fivefold increase in wins
Obviously feel like they got burnt by the schwindel mirage
Schwindel having a hot second half of ’21 was just a gift-for-tanking to Jed in ’22.
Seems like a good signing for the Cubbies. Not real costly, and he can play the outfield corners, first base and DH. Injuries happen; it’s good to have a couple of players who can move around the field.
Yeah thought it wouldn’t make sense to Service time manipulate a 25 yo first base prospect but if he is really good they still might like the extra year of control and making a decision to extend him or not easier.
BTW usually I’m skeptical of 25 yo prospects but him and pasquantino have been slowed by the canceled 2020 minor league season, if there was a 2020 both might have been up at age 23 or so already.
If one or both of Vinnie and Matt are the real deal the covid year might have cost them 50+ mil of earnings because it is a big difference whether you are a free agent at 29 or 31.
Still they can have some good earnings and a great career but obviously would have been better to arrive a year or 2 earlier.
As for Mervis I think he will be up like late may at latest and Hosmer will be DFAd, he just was a cheap stopgap who isn’t very good
Now, to find a 3rd baseman and more starting pitching.
The Cubs need starting pitching like an Eskimo needs ice cubes. The Iowa Cubs rotation will be better than some supposed Major League Teams.
If that was true, they’d be pitching in Wrigley Field not Iowa. This ain’t rocket science.
The Cubs don’t need starting pitching, they have a full rotation: Stroman, Taillon, SmylY, Hendricks and Steele.
Plus depth: Thompson, Assad, Wesneski, Killian, Elias.
And 3B is probably gonna be decided in ST between Wisdom, Madrigal, McKinstry, Morel and Mastrobuoni.
Cubbies striving for that 3rd place division finish with a rotisserie team of has beens.
Sure, and people in 2015 thought the Cubs had no chance to win their division but not only did they but they made it to the NLCS that year.
Red Birds have Wilson behind the plate which means Pitchers will struggle because of his bad game-calling and the Brew Crew are not that great either, so the Cubs have a legit chance of winning the Division.
No way. They don’t have the pitching to compete with the Brewers and ST.L. is still 5+ games better than MKE. And you can’t seriously be comparing the 2015 team to this one. That’s not a serious convo. I mean Hosmer and Belly? And who’s the Ace? Stroman? Hendricks? C’mon man! 3rd place might be a dream.
The Cubs might have better pitching than the Cards… You obviously haven’t been paying attention since the 2nd half of last season.
The Cubs rotation is a lot better than you want to believe!
With Wilson gone and improvements in the lineup, well let me be clear the Cubs will make the playoffs.
Also their minor league system is about to churn out some players that will fuel the run.
Best case scenario is all these signings of washed up players will play great and be flipped at the deadline for 19 year olds.
The Cubs have accumulated quite an assortment that could be very risky. Half the players are coming off their worst year and the other half are coming off their best.
I only see two coming off their best: Happ and Hoerner. The rest are coming off mediocre or worst seasons.
Hosmer, Mancini, and Belli are all short term, low risk, high reward signings. The Cubs have money to burn and top shelf prospect depth at their positions. They have arms coming out their ears. 3B and C will become areas to address as they become competitive. Overall though, I like the direction the team is headed in.
Yea cubs are definitely a threat
nice Plan B after they release Hosmer come Summer time
Yawn, another random addition by the cubs. It feels like Hoyer is just throwing anything at the wall and seeing what sticks. For all the cash they’ve spent this off-season the cubs will still be a middling, near .500 team on the outside of the playoffs
I completely respect this opinion. If anyone would be expert enough to label a team as “yawn” and be able to relate to a team spending cash for a middling, near .500 team that is outside of the playoffs it would certainly be someone with ‘Sox” in his name.
@mike127- i actually get quite a kick out of the south wider comments. It’s always like the cute mangy little dog nipping at your ankles thinking he’s hurting you but it’s just kinda ticklish… it’s so cute they think they matter.
Soxs finish last…
People are forgetting about PATRICK WISDOM. After signing Hosmer, Mancini isn’t needed. However, I could see them trading Morel to Miami for Lopez or another arm.
Wisdom belongs as a bench bat. Pick his spots and can play him at 3rd, dh, 1st.
Christopher Morel is not going to be a centerpiece in a trade for any of the reported available Marlin SP’s. Miami is prioritizing offense and especially outfielders in a return package. The Cubs would likely need to include one of their top OF prospects not named Pete Crow-Armstrong to get a deal done. That said, I don’t see a great match with the teams. The Cubs current system strength aside from OF’s is their young pitching. If the Cubs are going to deal from those areas of depth it will likely be for their future core catcher or a third baseman.
They need Morel for 3rd base.
Morel strikes out way too much to be a regular at 3rd. They had to use him last season because they just didn’t have anyone else. Wisdom, while having power, is also a whiff machine. They haven’t got their regular third baseman yet. That would go a long way toward making them actual contenders.
Hosmer is cheap insurance policy (so cheap) and will probably be DFA’d at some point with the back log of the better, more average players. The dude will probably bat his weight and head off to pasture.
I am calling a comeback player of the year award for Hosmer..manifesting that sh$t..Go cubs Go!
@Pauly- I really wish more people could think this way.
Or Bellinger.
Mancini had a 113 OPS+ with the O’s, but never got going with the Astros. Seemed to be pressing. I can see him having a nice productive year settling in with the Cubs. Having both Hosmer and Mancini could allow them to trade Happ by midseason if he’s not open to an extension, and/or the Cubs aren’t in contention for a postseason spot. At this stage of their careers, Mancini might have a bit more upside than Hosmer.
Wow, Go Cubs lol, doing good offensively but the rotation isn’t great but we’ll see, i was hoping to get Mancini on the Mets to DH
The rotation might be deceptively good. Steele was exceptional the second half. Wesneski looks pretty good. Smyly and Stroman could repeat solid years and Taillon could be a good addition. With Thompson and Assad in the bullpen as long relievers and spot starters, could be interesting.
Very underrated rotation, imho. Their rotation was #17 overall for the year, and #12 in MLB in the 2nd half. And they added Taillon. This rotation might be as high as #10 overall. I think everyone in their rotation figures to have an ERA+ of >100, and they have decent depth.
Spend big to win big.
Very good signing for the Cubs! He’ll reward the Cubs too. His AB’s are typically very good, he doesn’t give AB’s away, is usually very level headed in the box.
I think last year for him was a lot to handle–being able to leave the 2021 season in the rearview (being asked about his cancer tale at every city), he went into 2022 in his final year before Free Agency…and finds out in the last week of Spring Training the Orioles changed the LF wall to a canyon. It’s been a head trippy 3 years for Trey for all sorts of reasons.
Wish him great success. He’s a great dude.
This is a lame move. Not in a vacuum, but signing both Mancini and Hosmer?
I get that the Cubs want to compete, but young players should be part of that emergence, which means leaving a path open for Mervis.
The Cubs certainly don’t feel committed to giving everyday at-bats to Hosmer and Mancini in perpetuity, but is the hope for Mervis to force the issue in the spring? Do they plan on cutting Hosmer as soon as Mervis emerges?
I get that Mancini can play LF/RF, but those positions are spoken for. It’s not like he’ll get a platoon-share of games out there. So, he and Hosmer will be clogging up 1B and DH for the foreseeable future. (At least Mancini has potential upside.)
I guess another possibility is that Hosmer and Mancini aren’t expected to receive more than 350-400 at-bats (each), and that platooning/pinch-hitting/veteran presence will be there calling cards.
@moonlight graham I take your meaning, but Mervis only has one successful minor league season to his credit, and of that less than half a season each at AA and at AAA. Even without clock nonsense, the Cubs might want a couple hundred more PA in AAA and a little more time around the bag before bringing him up.
I’d assume, too, they see Hosmer as infinitely disposable if Mervis impresses, and handed notwithstanding see Mancini as the replacement / upgrade from Hosmer.
The Marlins botched this big time. This was the guy they needed. They needed a power bat at first who could play the corners once Soler goes down. It pains me to think that Mancini and Segura combined next season could potentially make the same thing as Jorge Soler. I think Kim really regrets that deal. At least she should.
Mancini’s no power bat. .412 SLG since the end of 2019, .391 SLG last year… I don’t know what the Marlins are doing (does anyone), but not getting Mancini isn’t their problem.
If anyone should have been in on Abreu to the bitter end, it was probably the Marlins.
Are you seriously counting his numbers from a shortened pandemic season and a season in which he came back from cancer? LMAO. Btw, I’m not sure if you watch the Marlins closely enough, but even those terrible numbers you just referenced would be a top three hitter in their line-up. Either way, this guy has averaged 25 HR/Yr and not a single other player on their roster has come close to that. They also were in on Abreau. They offered 40/2 but the Astros were dumb enough to offer 3 years.
How do cubs fans feel about their offseason?
To me they still don’t have enough pitching to compete seriously, but could make some noise. All these guys they got on 1 year deals look like decent deadline trade pieces if all wheels fall off.
Cardinals pitching is very limited and they have zero depth like the brewers do. Brewers have a ton of pitching but their offense is very below average.
Should be an interesting division.
I feel the Cubs are still a year away but right now this looks to be a .500 or so team with upside to be a WC although making playoffs will most likely have to come from winning the division.
Cards ‘zero’ depth includes the front five: Wainwright, Mikolas, Montgomery, Flaherty, Matz, plus Dakota Hudson, Andre Pallante, Jake Woodford, Andrew Liberatore and guys knocking on the door like Graceffo. Looks comparable in depth (if not the quality of the top two) of Milwaukee IMO..
Trey was the face of the O’s and their franchise player after the purge. Real good pro to have on the Cubs.
Best of luck to you and help Cubs to playoffs as they have improved the team for a run in 23.
If global warming does NOT accelerate this year and cause 60 mph winds from the North – Mancini will bang 35 dingers in this park.
I think more along the lines of 20-22 HR’s in about 400 at bats.
The cubbies may not win the east, but they will give the Mets and Philles some fits.
They play in the Central… They may give them fits for the Wildcard however. Or the easier route may be to just win their division with the Cardinals being the likely team to beat.
Thanks for the correction on the cubs being in the central.
The Cubs lack star power and high end talent. Mancini does nothing to change that. He does deepen the team in terms of major league caliber players but that ‘s about it.
Mervis offers upside, and signing “meh” guys to stand in his way only strengthens the impression the Cubs still don’t intend to compete in 2023.
Q for Bloom–what do you know about Wacha?
If he does sign elsewhere hopefully it will be in the NL.
He was your best starter last year in addition to a pretty good 3.3 2ERA with an 11-2 record. He had 2 starts at the end of the season against 2 playoff-bound teams you are basing not signing him on?
He’s 31, grew up in the Cardinals org–with a good stable of pitching success. Pay the guy a 2 or 3 year, $10 M per with incentives and don’t let him sign with the O’s. You let Eovaldi and Hill go which I was in favor of figuring you would definitely sign Wacha.
The Cubs are building a team that would have been good 5 years ago.
Mervis’ parents should have named him Purvis. Btw.
Sigh