Giants To Sign Brent Honeywell Jr. To Minor League Deal
5:00pm: The deal does not include an invite to big league spring training, per Justice delos Santos of the Mercury News.
1:05pm: The Giants are going to sign right-hander Brent Honeywell Jr. to a minor league contract, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Presumably, the righty will be invited to big league camp in spring training.
Honeywell, 31 next month, didn’t pitch anywhere in 2025. He was non-tendered by the Dodgers after the 2024 season and didn’t find a landing spot after that. What he can provide after sitting out an entire season is unknown but there’s little harm for the Giants in giving him a non-roster pact and then taking a look at him in some spring appearances.
The righty’s trajectory has been a uniquely challenging one. He was a top 100 prospect about a decade ago before an awful series of injury setbacks sent him off course. He required Tommy John surgery in 2018, suffered an elbow fracture in 2019, required nerve decompression surgery in 2020 and then suffered an olecranon stress reaction in his elbow in 2022.
By the end of the 2022 season, he had just three major league appearances under his belt. He stayed healthy enough in 2023 to pitch 52 1/3 innings between the Padres and White Sox. His 4.82 earned run average was somewhat serviceable but he was passed through outright waivers in August of that year.
He settled for a minor league deal with the Pirates going into 2024. He was on their roster for a few days in July before going to the Dodgers via waivers. The Dodgers passed him through waivers again in August but selected him back to the roster a little over a week later, so he was on their roster for most of the second half.
He finished the year with a 2.63 ERA, though in fairly lucky fashion. His 7.4% walk rate was solid and his 42.2% grounder rate around average but he only struck out 12.1% of batters faced, barely half of league par. He got some help from a .252 batting average on balls in play and 80% strand rate. Measures like his 4.28 FIP and flat 5.00 SIERA feel he would have fared far worse with neutral treatment from the baseball gods. He got to make three postseason appearances for the Dodgers as their mop-up guy when losing, allowing nine earned runs in 8 2/3 innings.
Honeywell got himself a ring for that effort but was not tendered a contract for 2025 and ended up sitting out the campaign. The Giants go into 2026 with their bullpen seeming weaker than last year. They traded Camilo Doval and Tyler Rogers at last year’s deadline, then lost Randy Rodríguez to Tommy John surgery.
Their approach to rebuilding the relief group has been to take low-cost fliers on reclamation projects. They signed Jason Foley, Rowan Wick and Sam Hentges but will likely start the season with all three on the injured list. Gregory Santos and Michael Fulmer were signed to minor league deals after a couple of injury-marred seasons.
Now Honeywell jumps into the mix as some extra non-roster depth. If he is able to secure a roster spot, he is out of options but has less than three years of club control, meaning he could theoretically be retained for future seasons via arbitration. He’ll have to earn a chance and make the most of it before that becomes any kind of realistic consideration.
Photo courtesy of David Frerker, Imagn Images
Blue Jays Notes: Rotation, Berríos, Lauer
Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos made his spring debut today, throwing 2 2/3 innings against the Mets. That’s a notable step for the righty since his health became an issue late last year. He told reporters, including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, that he already had doubts about his health at this time a year ago and that those doubts stayed in his mind through the season.
“I threw that way last year all year long,” he said. “I’ve never been in that situation before. I just was dealing with that. Everything was new for me. I never saw myself (not pitching) so that’s why I kept trying to fight and compete with my team.”
Berríos tossed 166 innings last year, so it certainly wasn’t a lost season, but it was relatively injury-marred by his own high standards. He made 32 starts in every full season from 2018 to 2024, plus 12 starts in the shortened 2020 season. He finished 2025 on the injured list due to elbow inflammation, though he now says it was actually his biceps tendon which had the inflammation, which was impacting his elbow.
Though he didn’t hit the IL until late in the year, it’s possible his arm was gradually wearing down as the season went along, as he had a 3.75 earned run average in the first half and a 5.15 ERA in the second. His four-seamer and sinker averaged over 94 miles per hour in his first start of the year but were below 92 mph by the end of August. He was in the 91-92 mph range today, per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, though Zwelling added that the cold conditions seemed to be hampering many pitchers today.
As Berríos struggled last year, he was bumped out of the rotation, shortly before hitting the IL. The Jays are likely going to start the season with Shane Bieber on the IL, so Berríos is projected to once again have a rotation spot behind Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Cody Ponce.
A healthy and productive season from Berríos would be great for the Jays and could also impact his earning power. At the end of the year, he can opt out of his deal, walking away from two years and $48MM. He can also increase that guarantee depending on how many innings he pitches in 2026.
Sticking with the rotation, left-hander Eric Lauer is currently on the outside looking in. He projects to be the #6 guy right now, which would mean starting the season in the bullpen as the long man, though an injury could quickly open a rotation spot for him. He spent much of 2025 in that spot, switching between starting and relieving. He finished the year with a 3.18 ERA in 104 2/3 innings over 15 starts and 13 relief appearances. He also made five postseason appearances with a 3.18 ERA.
The southpaw tells Mitch Bannon of The Athletic that he would prefer to have a full-time starting job, as most pitchers would. Bannon floats the possibility of Lauer ending up traded, though the Jays want him around and stretched out since injuries will inevitably cut into their depth.
That’s a natural preference for the Jays to have since their optionable depth is far more questionable. Bowden Francis is going to miss the year due to Tommy John surgery. Jake Bloss is still recovering from last year’s elbow surgery. Ricky Tiedemann didn’t pitch last year due to his surgery. Adam Macko hasn’t yet cracked the majors and Lazaro Estrada has just two big league games. Yariel Rodríguez is in camp but isn’t currently on the roster.
Keeping Lauer around decreases the odds of the Jays needing to turn to that depth pile, but on the other hand, Lauer could still get squeezed out. Bieber may not miss much time and the Jays have kept in touch with free agent Max Scherzer. If Scherzer is re-signed and Bieber’s arm holds up, Lauer could quickly move from sixth on the chart to eighth. At that point, it’s possible the Jays prefer to trade him for something else, as opposed to holding him in a spot where he’s buried.
Photo courtesy of Rhona Wise, Imagn Images
Pirates Notes: Jones, Harbin, Brannigan, Simón
Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk provided some injury updates to reporters, including Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Perhaps most notably, right-hander Jared Jones is doing well in his rehab and the club is trying to have him ready at the one-year mark of his surgery.
Jones underwent surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow on May 21st of 2025. It was not a full Tommy John surgery, as the club announced it as a UCL repair, rather than a replacement. They also listed the estimated return timeline as 10 to 12 months, shorter than that of TJS.
When the Bucs signed José Urquidy a couple of weeks ago, they put Jones on the 60-day injured list. That clock doesn’t start until the season opens, so Jones won’t be eligible for reinstatement until late May, but it seems the Pirates are hoping that he can be healthy enough to be activated as soon as the 60 days are up.
That would be a great development for the Pirates if all goes according to plan. Jones had an exciting debut in 2024, posting a 4.14 earned run average in 121 2/3 innings. He struck out 26.2% of batters faced while only giving out walks 7.7% of the time. Pittsburgh goes into the season with Paul Skenes and Mitch Keller in two rotation spots. They should be followed by some combination of Braxton Ashcraft, Bubba Chandler, Urquidy, Hunter Barco and Thomas Harrington.
Ideally, Jones can get healthy by late May and jump into that group. Who gets bumped out will naturally depend on who is healthy and performing well in the interim. Skenes is optionable but obviously isn’t getting sent down. Keller and Urquidy can’t be optioned to the minors without consent since each has at least five years of service time, though Urquidy consented to being optioned with the Tigers last year. Everyone else in the mix is optionable.
Turning to the bullpen, Ryan Harbin won’t be in the mix for the Opening Day roster. He has a teres major injury and won’t throw for the next six weeks, at which point he will undergo further imaging. Whenever he is declared healthy, he will have to ramp back up to game readiness.
Harbin was added to the club’s 40-man roster in November. He has a full slate of options and his upper level minor league experience is still limited, with just 14 appearances at both Double-A and Triple-A. He was probably a long shot to earn an Opening Day roster spot but he will be in the mix for an up-and-down bullpen depth job this year. That will be on pause until he gets healthy. Even once cleared, he will probably have to show some improved command. He struck out 31.9% of batters faced in the minors last year but gave out walks at a massive 16% clip.
Infielder Jack Brannigan got hit in the nose with a ground ball recently and sustained multiple injuries to the area. His timeline is still being determined. He is on the 40-man roster but wasn’t likely to factor into the Opening Day roster as he still has no Triple-A experience. He should be ticketed for a depth role this year, so there shouldn’t be a strong need to rush through this current setback.
There was also an update on non-roster infielder/outfielder Ronny Simón. He underwent shoulder surgery about four months ago and should get into games in late March or early April. He suffered a dislocated left shoulder in August and finished last year on the IL. He was non-tendered in November and then re-signed to a minor league deal. He’ll have to get healthy and then embark on a delayed spring ramp-up before factoring into the club’s position player depth. He hasn’t hit much in the majors yet but slashed .297/.392/.452 on the farm last year while stealing 28 bases in just 69 games and bouncing around to multiple positions.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
Trade Rumors Front Office Subscriber Chat Transcript
Steve Adams
- Good afternoon! We'll get going at 2pm CT today. Feel free to submit questions ahead of time, and we'll get going in a bit less than two hours!
- Hello! Let's get underway
Sam
- It seems like consensus that STL is taking a step back, which I why I am picking them for this exercise. If they played in the AL Central instead of the NL would the be competitive?
Steve Adams
- No, I don't think the AL Central is that bad. They'd be in better shape than in the NL Central, but the Tigers would still be heavy favorites and I wouldn't say the Cards are better than Kansas City or Cleveland.In general, I think their pitching is going to struggle, and while they have a lot of very good defenders on that roster, they're also going to be giving regular reps to guys who can only be considered defensive negatives (Walker, Gorman, Herrera).Bullpen is very suspect, too -- especially if they still trade Romero before Opening Day, which is possible.
Zack Littell
- I've been an above-average starter for two years now. Are teams really that scared to give me a deal along the lines of 2 years/25 million? I think at this point, I'd take that.
Steve Adams
- I would be shocked if he gets 2/25 at this point.
- That's about what I would've thought he'd get back in November/December
- At this point, I imagine he's going to take a year in the $8-12MM range?
Coach Chad
- Who do you think the biggest surprise that has had to take a minor league deal so far? And one that will have to get in camp ?
Steve Adams
- Probably Walker Buehler? Which is maybe contradictory, since I wouldn't have guaranteed him a 40-man spot on my fake team, haha, but I thought someone would just based on the name value -- even if it was a $5MM or so guarantee.Mildly surprised that Rhys Hoskins had to take one, but he hasn't been the same since the ACL tear, and the market pretty regularly craps on defensively limited corner bats like this, so that one's not as much of a surprise
- Much of that Hoskins bit applies to Nate Lowe, too (minus the ACL portion, of course, ha)
Springfield Nine
- Hi Steve, lots of comments from Eric Lauer about being a starter this spring. Any chance the Jays pull a trade to make that happen? What kind of return could he get?
Unlock Subscriber-Exclusive Articles Like This One With a Trade Rumors Front Office Subscription
- Access weekly subscriber-only articles by Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams, and Anthony Franco.
- Join exclusive weekly live chats with Anthony.
- Remove ads and support our writers.
- Access GM-caliber tools like our MLB Contract Tracker
Giants Sign Rowan Wick
Feb. 23: Wick is guaranteed $880K in the form of a $780K salary and a $100K buyout on an $800K club option for 2027, per Jon Becker of RosterResource.
Feb. 13: The Giants have signed right-hander Rowan Wick to a one-year major league deal, the team announced. The agreement includes a club option for 2027. Wick is recovering from Tommy John surgery and is not expected to pitch this season. Jason Foley has been placed on the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move, according to the MLB.com transaction log.
The 33-year-old Wick returns stateside after spending the past two seasons with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He was excellent out of the bullpen during his time in NPB, recording a 1.75 ERA across 87 2/3 innings. Wick secured five saves last season with the BayStars. He’ll look to impact the San Francisco bullpen next year as he continues to rehab from TJ.
The majority of Wick’s big-league experience has come with the Cubs. He was traded to Chicago straight up for Jason Vosler after a brief stint with the Padres. Wick was a semi-regular in the Cubs’ bullpen from 2019 to 2021. He emerged as the team’s closer in 2022. Wick notched a career-high nine saves that season, but faltered down the stretch and lost some opportunities to trade deadline acquisition David Robertson.
Wick began the 2023 season in the minors. The Cubs would release him in July. He bounced to the Braves and then the Blue Jays, but never made it back to the majors. After posting a 6.66 ERA at Triple-A, he made the jump to NPB.
San Francisco has a history of signing injured pitchers with the intention of getting contributions once they recover. The strategy has continued even after Buster Posey took over as president of baseball operations. The club added right-hander Jason Foley in December. He’s coming back from shoulder surgery and will begin the year on the 60-day IL. San Francisco also signed Sam Hentges this offseason. The lefty hasn’t pitched since 2024 following shoulder and knee surgery, but could be ready for the start of this season.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro, Imagn Images
Pierson Ohl To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Rockies right-hander Pierson Ohl, just acquired in a trade with the Twins last month, has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will undergo Tommy John surgery, reports Thomas Harding of MLB.com. Obviously, Ohl will miss the entire 2026 season. He can be transferred to the 60-day IL the next time Colorado needs a roster spot.
The 26-year-old Ohl made his big league debut with Minnesota in 2025, pitching 30 innings with a 5.10 earned run average — mostly out of the bullpen. He was outstanding in the minors, totaling 71 1/3 frames with a 2.40 ERA, a 30.3% strikeout rate and just a 3.9% walk rate. Ohl doesn’t throw hard, averaging only 91.9 mph on his four-seamer, but FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen credited him with a plus changeup (60 on the 20-80 scale) and potential plus-plus (70) command this past summer.
Though he’s not yet firmly established in the majors, Ohl had a clear opportunity to win a spot in Colorado’s bullpen. Victor Vodnik, Seth Halvorsen, Juan Mejia, Jimmy Herget, Brennan Bernardino and starter-turned-swingman Antonio Senzatela are highly likely to have spots, but Rule 5 pick RJ Petit is no lock to make the club and several of the other relievers still have minor league options remaining.
Those hopes are now dashed for the upcoming season. If there’s a silver lining for Ohl, it’s that moving to the 60-day IL will keep him in the majors all season, netting him a year of big league service and big league pay. The $780K major league minimum is nearly eight times the $100K bonus that Ohl received when signing as a 14th-round pick out of Grand Canyon University back in 2021.
Even if Ohl spends the entire 2026 season on the 60-day injured list and accrues a full year of service, he’ll still be a potential long-term option for Colorado. He came to the Rockies with just 62 days of MLB service, so he’d finish the season at 1.062 years and remain under club control — with a full slate of three minor league option years — for at least another five seasons. Ohl and former top infield prospect Edouard Julien (who’s out of minor league options) were traded from Minnesota to Colorado in exchange for pitching prospect Jace Kaminska late last month when the Twins needed some 40-man space.
Pirates Sign Carson Fulmer To Minor League Deal
The Pirates have signed right-hander Carson Fulmer to a minor league contract, reports Colin Beazley of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Fulmer, a client of Icon Sports Management, receives an invite to big league spring training and has already arrived at Pirates camp.
Fulmer, 32, was the No. 8 overall pick back in 2015. He hasn’t matched that draft status or the considerable fanfare he generated during his Vanderbilt days, but he’s pitched decently in a multi-inning role for the Angels across the past three seasons, logging a combined 4.43 ERA, 20.9% strikeout rate, 10.2% walk rate and 42.3% ground-ball rate in 126 innings (44 relief appearances, nine starts).
As Alex Stumpf points out, this is somewhat incredibly the fourth stint for Fulmer in the Pirates organization — despite never actually appearing in a major league game with them. Pittsburgh claimed Fulmer off waivers from the Tigers back in August of 2020 and immediately optioned him. He was designated him for assignment a couple weeks later and lost to the Orioles via waivers. The Bucs claimed him back from the Orioles three weeks later and even recalled him to the big league roster for the final couple days of the season, but he didn’t pitch in a game. Fulmer was designated for assignment the following spring and claimed by the Reds.
The Pirates also signed Fulmer to a minor league contract and brought him to camp last spring. He didn’t make the club but did spend the first two months of the season pitching for Triple-A Indianapolis, where he logged a 4.64 ERA in 42 2/3 innings (seven relief appearances, six starts). Those numbers generally align with Fulmer’s performance in parts of what is now nine seasons at the Triple-A level.
Pittsburgh’s bullpen is largely set, but there are at least a couple spots up for grabs this spring. Dennis Santana, Gregory Soto, Isaac Mattson, Justin Lawrence and Carmen Mlodzinski all figure to be on the Opening Day roster, health permitting. Left-hander Mason Montgomery, acquired alongside Brandon Lowe in the three-team deal sending righty Mike Burrows to Houston, should have a strong chance to make the club, too. The final two spots will be a contest including Evan Sisk, Kyle Nicolas, Cam Sanders and Yohan Ramirez. Since he’s out of minor league options, Ramirez might have an advantage. Non-roster invitees joining Fulmer in big league camp include Chris Devenski, Joe La Sorsa and Beau Burrows.
The Opener: Kelly, Pitching Market, Camp Battles
On the heels of a pair of signings, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:
1. Kelly, D-backs await MRI results:
Diamondbacks right-hander Merrill Kelly was scratched from a scheduled live batting practice over the weekend due to mid-back tightness, according to a report from Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic. Kelly and manager Torey Lovullo indicated at the time that the decision was mostly precautionary, but Kelly was still sent for an MRI in order to determine the severity of the issue. Those results are expected back today, writes Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. The veteran Kelly has already been named as the team’s Opening Day starter for 2026, but an injury could end up scuttling those plans. If a trip to the injured list is needed, that could settle the question of who will join Kelly, Zac Gallen, and Ryne Nelson in the rotation; Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Michael Soroka are vying for the final two spots.
2. When will the pitching market heat up?
Both Michael Conforto and Thairo Estrada found new homes on minor league deals this morning, and first baseman Rhys Hoskins did so yesterday. A number of the top remaining positional free agents have begun coming off the board, but we haven’t seen as much action with the final few names on the pitching market. Starters like Lucas Giolito, Zack Littell and Tyler Anderson remain available, while the relief market still includes names like Michael Kopech, Danny Coulombe and Tommy Kahnle. Whether these pitchers are willing to sit out a significant portion of Spring Training in order to get the best deal possible remains to be seen, but most clubs are just one or two injuries away from feeling pressure to add depth. When will the dam break?
3. Camp battles beginning around the league:
With Spring Training games now underway, players around the league with uncertain roles are set to battle for various jobs. In many cases, that’s due to a surplus of viable options with minimal established talent. The Astros’ outfield, for example, has a number of intriguing players like Cam Smith, Joey Loperfido, and Zach Cole, but only Jake Meyers figures to be handed an everyday job coming into camp. Over in Milwaukee, manager Pat Murphy indicated the Brewers have not yet settled on roles for their high leverage relievers. That leaves 2025 closer Trevor Megill to try and fend off Abner Uribe, Jared Koenig, and any other challengers if he wants to keep his ninth-inning job for 2026. Similar situations will play out around the league, creating plenty of intrigue as fans and teams get back into the swing of another baseball season.
Orioles Sign Thairo Estrada To Minor League Deal
The Orioles are signing infielder Thairo Estrada to a minor league deal, per a team announcement. The deal includes an invite to big league Spring Training.
The deal is something of a belated birthday gift for Estrada, who turned 30 just yesterday. The infielder was signed out of Venezuela as an amateur by the Yankees and made his big league debut with them back in 2019, but he’s best known for his work with the Giants. From 2021 to 2023, Estrada slashed .266/.320/.416 (105 wRC+) and eventually found himself upgraded from a utility role to the team’s starting second baseman. He combined that slightly above average bat with a strong glove to become a very valuable player for San Francisco for a few years.
Things began to turn the wrong direction in 2024 — a season in which a left wrist sprain limited Estrada to just 96 games. He hit a paltry .217/.247/.343 (68 wRC+) even when he was healthy enough to take the field. The Giants cut him loose, and a one-year deal with the Rockies didn’t help him right the ship. Estrada suffered an injury in his other wrist, this time suffering a fracture when he was hit by a pitch during Cactus League play. He missed about two months with that injury before additional IL stints due to a thumb sprain and hamstring strain. Overall, he hit .253/.285/.370 in just 165 plate appearances.
With the Orioles, Estrada will vie for a spot in an infield that looks quite a bit less crowded than it did just a few weeks ago. Second baseman Jackson Holliday and third baseman Jordan Westburg will both open the season on the injured list — the former due to a hamate fracture that required surgery and the latter due to a partial tear in his ulnar collateral ligament, which he’ll first try to rehab without surgery.
The injuries to Holliday and Westburg have likely thrust former top prospect Coby Mayo (third base) and trade acquisition Blaze Alexander (second base) into starting roles. Utilityman Jeremiah Jackson could also see an increased role, and the O’s picked up out of options third baseman Bryan Ramos off waivers following the Westburg injury, giving them another option around the infield.
Estrada immediately becomes the most experienced member of the competition for a backup infield role on Baltimore’s bench. In 508 big league games, he’s tallied 1870 plate appearances with a .251/.299/.392 batting line (91 wRC+). He’s primarily been a middle infielder but has experience at third base and in all three outfield spots (primarily left field). Second base is his best position, but if he makes the club he can back up at a variety of positions while the rest of the Oriole infield is on the mend.
Guardians To Sign Rhys Hoskins To Minor League Deal
First baseman Rhys Hoskins and the Guardians are finalizing a minor league deal, according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Hoskins, a Boras Corporation client, will receive a $1.5MM salary if he makes Cleveland’s MLB roster. The news of Hoskins’ deal with the Guardians comes after reports (including one from Meisel) earlier in the day indicated the veteran’s presence in the team’s Arizona clubhouse.
Hoskins, 33 next month, spent six seasons in Philadelphia as one of the more reliably above-average corner bats in the game. He managed to make up for low batting averages by consistently flashing 30-homer pop and keeping his walk rate above 10%. After a 2022 campaign where he slashed .246/.332/.462 with 30 homers in 156 games, Hoskins figured to be a key figure in the Phillies’ lineup headed into 2023 when those plans were abruptly scuttled by an ACL tear that wiped out his entire season.
That lost season led Hoskins to reach free agency as something of an unknown quantity, but he ultimately found a two-year deal with the Brewers that afforded him the opportunity to opt out after the 2024 season. The veteran appeared in 131 games for Milwaukee during that first season but didn’t hit at his typical levels, with a slash line of just .214/.303/.419 and a wRC+ of 101. While he was still good for 26 home runs, a career-high 28.8% strikeout rate sapped much of the value Hoskins had offered during his days in Philadelphia.
That down season was enough to convince Hoskins to remain in Milwaukee for 2025, but he was limited to just 90 games this past season due to a sprained thumb. The good news is that when he was on the field, his production ticked back up to be more substantially above league average. In 328 trips to the plate last year, Hoskins slashed .237/.332/.416 with a wRC+ of 109. While Hoskins’s power numbers were the weakest of his career, his strikeout rate ticked down to 27.7% while his walk rate crept up to 11.6%, his highest level since 2020.
A second injury-plagued season in the past three years was bad news for Hoskins’s market value, however, and he’s scarcely been discussed in the rumor mill since returning to free agency back in November. With Spring Training now underway, Hoskins opted to catch on with the Guardians on a minor league pact. The veteran is a strong fit for Cleveland’s needs, and signing with them should give him every opportunity to crack the club’s Opening Day roster.
Both first baseman Kyle Manzardo and expected designated hitter C.J. Kayfus are left-handed hitters, so a right-handed first base/DH option like Hoskins is a strong on-paper fit. While Hoskins actually had reverse splits last year, he’s a career 137 wRC+ hitter against southpaws, and even last year’s 102 wRC+ would be a substantial improvement over the numbers Mazardo (83) and Kayfus (67) posted against lefties last year.
While Hoskins currently looks likely to be ticketed for a platoon role on paper, it’s not at all difficult to imagine him working his way into earning everyday reps. Kayfus is a rookie who posted a wRC+ of just 96 in 44 games last year, after all, and Hoskins is a capable hitter against righties looking at both last season (111 wRC+) and his career (115). With Cleveland, the veteran should have a strong opportunity to put together a rebound season after his struggles to stay on the field and produce consistently over a full season that have cropped up over the past few years. If he can rediscover some of the form that made him a middle-of-the-order bat for the Phillies a few years ago, it’s not too difficult to imagine Hoskins becoming an instrumental part of the Guardians’ lineup alongside stars Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan.