Pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Spring Training in about two weeks but a slow offseason means there are still plenty of free agents out there. Over the past week, MLBTR has already taken a look at the remaining catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen, shortstops, center fielders, designated hitters and starting pitchers, and we will now proceed to the corner outfielders.
- Jorge Soler: He probably won’t be considered an everyday fielder by any club in the league, but his bat is clearly a notch above anyone else on this list. Soler hasn’t been the most consistent hitter over the years but is excellent when he’s in good form. 2023 was an upswing in his up-and-down career, as he hit 36 home runs and drew walks in 11.4% of his plate appearances. He also kept his strikeouts to a 24.3% rate, a tad above league average but solid by his standards. Soler’s .250/.341/.512 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 126. He walked away from $13MM and the final year of his deal with the Marlins and is now surely looking for a strong multi-year deal. But despite that potent bat, he won’t be anything more than a part-time option in the outfield. He only made 31 starts in the field last year and was graded poorly when out there, having never really received strong marks for his glovework. Whichever club signs him will surely think of him as a designated hitter who can play the field on a part-time basis, at best. The Blue Jays, Mets, Giants and Angels have been linked to him this offseason, with the Jays perceived by some as the favorite to get a deal done.
- Adam Duvall: Though he has been seeing significant time in center field in recent seasons, Duvall has spent far more of his career in the corners. His work in center has been passable, but he’s now 35 years old and is probably best thought of as a corner guy who can cover center on occasion. At the plate, he doesn’t take many walks and also strikes out a ton, but he parks the ball over the fence often enough to be useful. He was punched out in 31.2% of his trips to the plate last year and only walked at a 6.2% clip, but he launched 21 home runs in just 92 games. His .247/.303/.531 slash translated to a 116 wRC+. Health is an issue, which is why his output was limited last year and he’s only once played 100 games in the last four full seasons. But the combination of solid outfield defense and home runs nonetheless makes him an attractive piece. Jon Heyman of The New York Post recently suggested that Duvall would be choosing between the Angels and the Red Sox.
- Tommy Pham: After a solid run from 2015 to 2019, Pham’s production has been up-and-down over the past four seasons. He had a rough time in the shortened 2020 season, bounced back in 2021 but then struggled again in 2022. His most recent campaign was another solid bounceback, a season he split between the Mets and Diamondbacks. His 9.8% walk rate and 22% strikeout rate were both a bit better than league average. Pham hit 16 home runs, and his line of .256/.328/.446 translated a wRC+ of 110. He also stole 22 bases and slotted in at all three outfield positions, though primarily in left. As the Diamondbacks made a World Series run, he was able to add another three homers and swipe another two bags in the postseason. Back in November, he said he had received interest from roughly 10 teams, but no specific clubs were mentioned and some of them may have moved on to other targets since.
- Aaron Hicks: Like many of the other names on this list, Hicks has been inconsistently productive in his career. He had a strong run with the Yankees from 2017 to 2020 but his results fell off from there. He was subpar throughout 2021 and 2022, continuing into the beginning of 2023, leading the Yanks to release him. He latched on with the Orioles and got back on track. In 65 games with the O’s, Hicks hit seven home runs and walked in 14.8% of his plate appearances, striking out just 20.8% of the time. His .275/.381/.425 line translated to a wRC+ of 129. He also stole six bases and played all three outfield spots. That’s a fairly small sample of work that followed more than two years of struggles, but Hicks will be a no-risk signing for whichever club lands him, at least from a financial perspective. The Yankees are still on the hook for his $9.5MM salary both this year and next, as well as a $1MM buyout on a 2026 club option. Any other club can sign Hicks for the prorated league minimum of $740K for any time spent on the roster, with that amount subtracted from what the Yankees pay. It’s unknown what Hicks will be looking for in a landing spot, but since he’s already got a contract, he could look to prioritize playing time or joining a competitive club.
- Eddie Rosario: Rosario has been at least league average at the plate for six of the past seven seasons. In 2022, his wRC+ dipped all the way down to 62, but it rebounded to an even 100 in 2023. He dealt with some vision problems in that 2022 season and underwent a laser eye procedure, so it’s seems fair to write that year off as an aberration. Rosario hit 21 homers for Atlanta in 2023, though with a subpar walk rate of 6.6%. His .255/.305/.450 line was exactly league average, as mentioned, but Rosario’s platoon splits have become increasingly glaring as his career has progressed. His defensive grades have declined over the years as well, although he posted solid marks in 2023. Many teams will view him as a left field/DH option who’s best paired with a platoon partner. Atlanta declined a $9MM club option for his 2024 services. He’ll likely be available on a one-year deal that clocks in south of that sum.
Honorable mentions: Whit Merrifield, Randal Grichuk, Robbie Grossman, Austin Meadows, David Peralta, Jurickson Profar, Brian Anderson
dankyank
Adam Duvall would be a nice fit for the Angels. Mickey Moniak is a virtual lock to decline with his 113:9 K/BB ratio.
DoritosLocosTaco
Your solution to a high strike out player is to sign another high strike out player?
dankyank
I would absolutely take Duvall over Moniak. He offers better defense, better power and more walks.
dankyank
Edit: The strong arm will also play well in RF.
DoritosLocosTaco
I hear what you’re saying, and that’s fair. I actually really like Moniak and think he has a high ceiling. Definitely more of a risk, and the strikeouts are concerning. I don’t think the angels are seriously contending next year (wild card if lucky), so I prefer to stick with higher risk player.
chalk73
Hayman suggested it so it won’t happen.
HalosHeavenJJ
Moniak’s defense in center rated really well. That K/BB rate is scary, though.
Still I think letting him do the bulk of the running while Trout covers right and DHs a couple days a week is the smart play.
If the Angels prioritize defense in center, we need a plus bat somewhere else in case Moniak doesn’t hit.
dankyank
Moniak was indeed worth 6 DRS in 2023. As with every other facet of his game, that was the first time his defense didn’t provide negative value. I think last season was a fluke, across the board.
HalosHeavenJJ
He was 26 and finally getting regular playing time. The 5 DRS he put up in CF was less than a third of the season.
And even with his strikeouts he put a a 114 wRC+
Time will tell but he’s very talented and entering what should be his prime. This could go either way.
radhippo
The Angels have plenty of guys that get hurt every year. Duvall is another that gets hurt. They need a guy that’ll be out there everyday! Bellinger fits perfectly but he’s not worth 200+mil, not even close. Maybe 4-5 years at 25mil per seems fair but unlikely.
OilCanLloyd
I’m guessing the Angels sign Hicks. Lol
Old York
They’re unsigned because they belong to the minors/independent leagues.
Rishi
Honestly they are all rather decent players with respectable careers. Oddly the worst career by far has been from Soler despite, at times, crazy good power numbers. I could see an argument against Hicks but it’s intriguing that he was good once he left NY, despite just 200ab to go by.
James123
Soler has a role in the bigs. he would be a top 10 DH, but a lot of teams would rather rotate guys through that role…. A team like the Os like to move their catcher into that slot on off days (so Adley will DH about 1/3 of the games this year); but if Soler came cheap enough he would be the other side of that DH split (but no way they give hime half of what is is looking for to play that role- he turned down 13m option, so he either wants well north of that or multi year).
There are teams that are fits, but he is not a headline signing, so no one is paying the current asking price. I think he signs for 3 years 45m or so and no one really cares while he bats 5th and hits another 40 bombs in most of those years.
Duvall and the rest are 4th OF at this point in their careers. Hicks will land somewhere in that role (4th OF), I could see him taking a minor with mlb invite with opt outs galore so he can really be every teams 5th OF option next season.
Rick Pernell
I am wondering, How many veteran players in the next 20 days wind up with one year deals?
I think a bunch of players and agents have over valued salaries this year.
Bill M
And you have Pham claiming to have had interest from 10 teams in November. We’re about to hit February and he’s unsigned. Something isn’t adding up
mlb fan
“Pham claiming”..Many players and their agents are over reaching this year after seeing Yamamoto & Ohtani secure record, landmark contracts. And “interest” from a team is rather vague & meaningless because smart teams do “due dilligence” on virtually all available players, knowing they’re unlikely to acquire them. When Cody Bellinger reportedly turns down a reasonable 5/160M offer, players & agents are over reaching.
HalosHeavenJJ
A ton.
The possible Diamond Sports restructure only guarantees money for 2024.
Hard to sign too many long term deals under those circumstances.
stretch123
Rosario to the Marlins makes a lot of sense to pair with De La Cruz. So does Amed Rosario. It would definitely be fun to have two Rosarios in the line up lol
Rishi
I think Miami would be one of the best spots for Eddie.
Big whiffa
Fish will sign a couple more guys. I wouldn’t be surprised to see soler back
mlb fan
The 2024 season will be known as the year of the Regional Sports Network crash and the year of the market slow play.
los_leebos
Do the Padres come away with 2, 1, or 0 of these remaining guys?
Longtimecoming
I think Profar is destined to returned. The need will likely be there on both sides and he should be very reasonably priced for 24. If he produces anywhere near his previous Padres times for maybe 3.5 mil (throw in some incentives if necessary), it will solve the LF hole which currently doesn’t have a body slotted to take the field!
Preferred solution – no. Realistic due to what has been revealed in past 3 months – probably, yes.
Also, Padres have a few 2025 prospects so a 1 year deal is good for them.
Now Yu Know
Would you rather have Profar for 3.5mil, or Hicks for the prorated amount 740k?
Longtimecoming
I’m going for Profar due to his 22 and 23 time with Padres being productive (he was just overpaid for what he gave).
Hicks seems to be more of a “hope he gets back to 2017-20” kind of guy.
Also the known commodity of a good clubhouse guy familiar with most of current roster plays in JP’s favor.
Hicks may not even want to choose SD –
Assuming at some point he gets 2 offers at league min. If he doesn’t get 2 offers then maybe that confirms SD shoudn’t take him!
JP would surely reunite with SD given a chance. My bet is that he has the “call is before you sign” understanding with Preller right now.
If I’m high on my projection I’d be happy to pay less though.
Now Yu Know
Well… looks like the Angels just picked up Hicks.
mlb fan
“Would uou rather have Profar”..Hicks is cheaper and possibly better than Profar, so I choose Hicks.
Longtimecoming
What is 73 and 85?
Hicks’ OPS+ in 21 and 22 – even worse while with NYY in 23.
Down trend.
Compare JP during his SD tenure – down while in Colorado but bounced back nicely after returning to SD for end of 23.
Not sure which stats you use to show how Hicks is so better than Profar.
Hicks had a nice run 2017-2020 to build up some stats but that has been long ago.
Big whiffa
They should also go get cease and contend.
elvis26
I think Duvall would be a perfect fit for the cardinals they need another power hitter in their lineup
OilCanLloyd
Rosario to the Jays. Veteran who still slugs enough. Load management for Springer….and probably Kiermaier.
Chicken In Philly?
It would be great to see Austin Meadows bounce back somewhere. I’m surprised he remains unsigned. What a rough go, though. Vertigo, Achilles tendinitis and COVID, then anxiety.
mlb fan
“It would be great”..Why are you surprised?..Baseball is a business, not a wellness, “feel good” or recovery center. Meadows cost his last team a good player traded and provided negative value, so why would there be a “next” team?..He’s no more entitled to a job in baseball than anyone else.
Chicken In Philly?
“It would be great to see Austin Meadows bounce back somewhere” because of his past performance and likelihood that he can recapture it. No one said to sign him out of pity. I’m used to your trolling, so whatever, but the player a team trades for can’t cost his new team anything. Sounds like you’re making excuses for the front office. I thought baseball is a “business.”
Liberalsteve
What do you think Barry’s line would be if he got 400 ab’s in 2024?
100/300/400?
Os1995
Batting .100 and slugging .400 is wild. Every hit he got would need to be a home run to achieve that.
mlb1225
That would mean that all 40 of his hits would go for home runs.
cwsOverhaul
WSox will take a 3mil veteran to play RF in March for whoever isn’t getting calls.
JRamHOF
I am begging the Cleveland Guardians to do something. Any of these first four players would be a fit
Non Roster Invitee
Duvall fourth outfielder on Giants.
Reunited and it feels so good!
nosake
Can only speak to Rosario and Pham because I don’t have observational experience with the others. They both have bad personalities which probably weighs heavily in every conversation about signing them. Why do that to your clubhouse?
I think this same phenomenon factored into the abbreviated Juan Soto contract; see what he brings to the team before committing over the long term.
dirkbill1958
So instead of reading these thoughtful comments the Angels sign Hicks ♂️
dirkbill1958
[head smack]
Longtimecoming
Some team was bound to take a chance for league minimum on Hicks.
johnnybadd2019
Angels signed Hicks today
PuttPutt⁰³
This article was posted 3 or 4 hours before it was posted that he was signed.