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Justin Bour

Justin Bour Signs With Mexico City Red Devils

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First baseman Justin Bour has signed with the Red Devils of Mexico City (Diablos Rojos del México) for the 2022 season, announced the team on December 30th.  After playing in the Majors from 2014-19 with the Marlins, Phillies, and Angels, Bour spent 2020 with the Hanshin Tigers.  He signed a minor league deal in March 2021 to return stateside with the Giants, but he moved to KBO’s LG Twins after 33 Triple-A games.

The 18-team Mexican League was founded in 1925 and became part of Minor League Baseball thirty years later, and was eventually considered a Triple-A league.  The Mexican League’s longtime connection ended in 2021 when MLB re-organized the minors.  Bour joins several players with MLB experience on the Diablos Rojos’ roster, including Arquimedes Caminero, Jumbo Diaz, Roberto Osuna, JC Ramirez, Yangervis Solarte, and Jorge Cantu.  Diablos manager Jorge del Valle noted that Bour brings similar power to that of Jon Singleton, who recently signed a minor league deal with the Brewers.

Bour, 33, was drafted by the Cubs in the 25th round out of George Mason University back in 2009.  He remains the most successful Major Leaguer from that Virginia college.  Bour joined the Marlins in the 2013 Rule 5 draft.  He became the Marlins’ primary first baseman from 2015-18, finishing fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting with a 23-homer debut in ’15.  Bour popped 83 home runs for the Marlins in that span and ranks 12th in franchise history.  A left-handed hitter, Bour generally needed to be platooned against southpaws but still owns a 123 wRC+ against righties in his 559-game MLB career.

KBO’s LG Twins Sign Justin Bour

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The LG Twins of the Korea Baseball Organization announced that they’ve signed former big league first baseman Justin Bour for the remainder of the 2021 season (link via Jee-ho Yoo of South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency). Bour will be paid $350K for the remainder of the season.

Bour, 33, signed a minor league deal with the Giants after Spring Training had begun and opened the 2021 season with their top affiliate in Sacramento. He’s out to a .213/.346/.426 start to the season with six homers, five doubles, a strong 15.4 percent walk rate and a 23 percent strikeout rate in Triple-A. The former Marlins, Phillies and Angels first baseman spent the 2020 season with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Hanshin Tigers in Japan, hitting at a .243/.338/.422 clip with 17 long balls and eight doubles in 379 trips to the plate.

It’s been a couple years since we’ve seen Bour in the Majors and a bit longer than that since we saw him at his best. From 2014-17, Bour hit .273/.346/.489 as the Marlins’ primary first baseman — including a monstrous .289/.366/.536, 25-homer showing back in 2017 (134 wRC+, 143 OPS+). Bour was an above-average hitter in each of his five seasons with the Fish, but his production dropped precipitously following a 2018 trade to the Phillies and fell off even further with the Angels in 2019.

Bour is replacing first baseman Roberto Ramos on the roster for the Twins. Ramos, 26, took the KBO by storm last year in his debut campaign when he hit .278/.362/.592 with 38 home runs, 17 doubles and a pair of triples. The former Rockies prospect has been hindered by a lower back injury throughout the 2021 season, however, and has now been out of action for the Twins since June 9. He batted .243/.317/.422 through 205 plate appearances before the injury sidelined him.

Giants Sign Justin Bour

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7:35pm: Bour will not be in MLB camp, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. He’ll report to minor league camp April 1.

5:03pm: The Giants have agreed to a contract with Justin Bour, the first baseman himself posted in his Instagram profile. It’s a minor-league contract, reports Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic (Twitter link).

Bour is probably best known for a solid four-year run with the Marlins. He peaked in 2017, when he hit a robust .289/.366/.536 with 25 home runs in just 429 plate appearances. Bour’s offensive production tailed off in 2018, though, particularly after an August trade to the Phillies. He couldn’t right the ship in 2019, where he slumped to a .172/.259/.364 mark after signing with the Angels.

After being outrighted off Los Angeles’ 40-man roster, Bour signed a one-year contract with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. While there had been some hope he’d rediscover his power stroke in NPB, Bour slashed an unspectacular .243/.338/.422 with 17 homers across 379 plate appearances.

It has now been three years since we’ve seen Bour at peak form, but there’s no risk for San Francisco in bringing him in as depth. First base is sure to belong to Brandon Belt when he’s healthy, but the longtime Giant underwent heel surgery last October and might not be ready for Opening Day. Each of Wilmer Flores, Darin Ruf and Jason Vosler is on the 40-man roster as a potential replacement if Belt can’t go at the start of the season. Among them, only Vosler (who has yet to make his MLB debut at age 27) hits left-handed, so Bour’s lefty bat helps balance the group.

NPB/KBO Notes: Ohno, Alcantara, Romero, Bour

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Left-hander Yudai Ohno announced this week that he plans to stay with NPB’s Chunichi Dragons, and MLB.com’s Jon Morosi now adds that the star southpaw inked a three-year pact with the Dragons. Ohno has drawn some MLB interest, but it seems the 32-year-old will stay in Japan for the long term. Given that he’ll be 35 by the time this contract draws to a close, it’s fair to wonder whether he’ll ever pursue an MLB opportunity. The lefty was masterful in 2020, completing 10 of his 20 starts en route to a 1.82 ERA and a 148-to-23 K/BB ratio in 148 2/3 frames. Sports Info Solutions’ Will Hoefer profiled Ohno (among others) following the 2019 season, noting a three-pitch mix — fastball, slider, splitter — with velocity that runs up to 94 mph.

A few more notes from NPB…

  • Former A’s righty Raul Alcantara was named the Choi Dong-won Award winner in the Korea Baseball Organization this week, writes Jee-ho Yoo of the Yonhap News Agency. Alcantara follows Josh Lindblom, who won the award in both 2018 and 2019, as the third straight former big leaguer to win the KBO’s Cy Young equivalent. The 27-year-old right-hander logged a pristine 2.54 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and just 1.4 BB/9 across 31 starts, totaling 198 2/3 innings of work on the whole. The 2020 campaign was Alcantara’s second in the KBO and first with the Doosan Bears, the team for which Lindblom previously starred. It’s not clear at this point whether Alcantara will explore a return to the Majors or look to further build his stock overseas. This year was a breakout for Alcantara, who pitched to a 4.01 ERA with the KT Wiz in 2019. He played this season on a one-year, $700K deal and should command a healthy raise from the Bears or another club if he wishes to return for a third season in the KBO.
  • Former Mariners outfielder Stefen Romero has drawn some interest from Major League clubs, Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reports (via Twitter). The 32-year-old last appeared in the Majors with Seattle but has spent the past four seasons in Japan: 2017-19 with the Orix Buffaloes and 2020 with the Rakuten Golden Eagles. The right-handed-hitting Romero has put together a .272/.354/.539 slash with 24 homers, 19 doubles and a pair of triples in 2020 and owns an overall .269/.337/.505 slash in four NPB seasons. Those numbers include a down year in ’18, but Romero has produced at a high level over the past two years. It’s not clear whether a 32-year-old corner-only outfielder can parlay that showing into a big league deal, but it’s at least worth remembering that he’s an option for clubs seeking low-cost outfield help. Romero could probably get another solid contract in Japan, of course, so it’s far from a given that he’ll return to North American ball.
  • Justin Bour isn’t expected to return to the Hanshin Tigers for a second season, per the Japan Times. The 32-year-old former Marlins/Phillies/Angels first baseman signed a one-year deal worth about $2.55MM with the Tigers last offseason but didn’t quite meet the club’s expectations, slashing .243/.338/.422 with 17 homers and eight doubles in 379 trips to the plate. The six-year big league veteran carries a career .262/.345/.490 slash against right-handed pitching in the Majors, so he could reemerge as a depth option for a club at first base or designated hitter this winter.

Former MLB Players In NPB: Japan Central League

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Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball is targeting a June 19 Opening Day. As is the case with the Korea Baseball Organization, the league has plenty of recognizable names for MLB fans to follow as we await the return of baseball in North America. NPB is larger than the KBO (12 teams vs. 10) and has slightly lesser restrictions on foreign players. As such, I split the “names to watch” rundown into two posts — this one covering the Japan Central League and a prior post on the Japan Pacific League.

Yomiuri Giants (77-64-2 record in 2019):

  • Hisashi Iwakuma, RHP: Perhaps the most well-known player on this list, Iwakuma was a rock in the Mariners’ rotation from 2012-16 before shoulder injuries interrupted a very strong MLB run. He signed with NPB’s Giants in the 2018-19 offseason but was only able to throw two minor league innings last year. Now 39, he’ll take another shot at a return in 2020.
  • Gerardo Parra, OF: The man who brought “Baby Shark” to Nationals Park and celebrated a World Series win last October took an early free-agent deal with the Giants back on Nov. 20. The 33-year-old batted .250/.300/.447 with the Nats last year.
  • Rubby De La Rosa, RHP: Once considered to be among the game’s top pitching prospects, the now 31-year-old De La Rosa had a decent run with the Red Sox and D-backs from 2014-17 before injuries derailed his career. He made his NPB debut with the Giants last year, pitching to a 2.25 ERA with a 32-to-5 K/BB ratio in 24 innings.
  • Angel Sanchez, RHP: Pirates fans are excused if they don’t remember Sanchez’s brief 12-inning cup of coffee from the 2017 season. Sanchez, now 30, had a very promising 2015 between Double-A and Triple-A before his 2016 season was lost to Tommy John surgery. He’s spent the past two years with the KBO’s SK Wyverns, including an impressive 2.62 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 in 165 innings in 2019.
  • Thyago Vieira, RHP: The 26-year-old Vieira was an intriguing prospect with the Mariners and White Sox due to his huge fastball velocity, but he was hit hard in 25 2/3 MLB frames and in the upper minors. This will be his first season in Japan.

Yokohama DeNA BayStars (71-69-3):

  • Jose Lopez, 1B: Yes — it’s that Jose Lopez. An All-Star second baseman with the Mariners way back in 2006, Lopez is now 36 years old and a seven-year veteran in NPB. In two seasons with the Giants and five with the BayStars, he’s a .276/.317/.500 hitter with 186 home runs.
  • Spencer Patton, RHP: The 32-year-old hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2016 and has just a 6.26 ERA in 54 frames between the Rangers and Cubs. But Patton has made a name for himself with the BayStars, for whom he pitched to a combined 2.64 ERA in 116 innings from 2017-18. He had a down year in ’19 and will be looking for better health and better results in 2020.
  • Edwin Escobar, LHP: Still just 28, Escobar hasn’t pitched in the Majors since a 2016 cameo with the D-backs. That’s due largely to the success he’s found in Japan, where he’s logged a 3.36 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in three seasons out of the BayStars’ bullpen.
  • Tyler Austin, OF: Austin has shown plenty of power in parts of four MLB seasons, but his strikeouts have limited him to a .219/.292/.451 overall batting line. The former Yankees prospect will be suiting up for the first time in NPB this season.
  • Neftali Soto, INF/OF: The 31-year-old Soto saw all of 44 MLB plate appearances with the Reds in 2013-14, but he’s hit like a star in Japan. In two seasons with the Yokohama club, he’s batted .288/.355/.594 with 84 home runs inn 1043 plate appearances. He’ll be a free agent next year and could potentially draw some MLB interest.

Hanshin Tigers (69-68-6):

  • Kyuji Fujikawa, RHP: The now 39-year-old Fujikawa never took off after signing with the Cubs for the 2013 season. He returned to NPB in 2016 and has regained his status as a high-end reliever with his original club, the Tigers. Fujikawa whiffed 83 hitters and posted a 1.77 ERA in 56 innings last year.
  • Kosuke Fukudome, OF: Another former Cub, Fukudome is still chugging along at 43 years old. He hit .256/.347/.394 in 403 plate appearances with the Tigers last season — his 16th in NPB.
  • Justin Bour, 1B/DH: Bour blasted 92 home runs in a six-year run with the Marlins, Phillies and Angels, but he never hit much upon leaving Miami. His power should play well in his NPB debut this year, and hopefully his “Bourtobello Crushroom” nickname catches on there (even though Bour told Sports Illustrated he’s never actually been called by that nickname, it still appears on his Baseball-Reference page).
  • Jon Edwards, RHP: Edwards, 32, has seen MLB time with the Rangers, Indians and Padres but never cemented himself as a steady contributor. He boasts a 3.08 ERA and 12.4 K/9 in parts of four Triple-A seasons, however. This will be his NPB debut.
  • Onelki Garcia, RHP: Garcia, 30, has just 7 1/3 MLB innings to his name and will return to the Tigers for a second season after struggling to a 4.69 ERA in 103 2/3 frames last year. He did post a strong 2.99 mark with the Chunichi Dragons in 2018.
  • Jefry Marte, 1B/3B: Marte never found his stride in parts of four seasons with the Tigers or Angels from 2015-18, but he posted a .284/.381/.444 slash in his debut effort with Hanshin last season.
  • Jerry Sands, OF: The 32-year-old Sands had a journeyman career in the U.S. but hit at star levels in the Korea Baseball Organization over the past two seasons: .306/.391/.574. He signed with Hanshin this winter and will be making his NPB debut.

Hiroshima Toyo Carp (70-70-3):

  • Kris Johnson, LHP: Johnson, 35, barely got a look with the Pirates or Twins, but he’s been one of Japan’s best pitchers over the past half decade. In five seasons, all with the Carp, he has a combined 2.54 ERA with averages of seven strikeouts and three walks per nine innings.
  • DJ Johnson, RHP: This will be the first NPB season for Johnson, who posted a 4.88 ERA in 31 2/3 innings with the Rockies over the past couple of seasons. As an undrafted player who has also spent time on the indie circuit, the 30-year-old Johnson is cultivating quite the unique baseball career.
  • Tayler Scott, RHP: The second South African-born player to make it to the big leagues — Gift Ngoepe was the first — Scott was hit hard in 16 1/3 frames between the Mariners and Orioles last year. However, the 28-year-old also tossed 16 frames with just one run allowed and a 21-to-3 K/BB ratio with the Orioles’ Triple-A club in ’19.
  • Jose Pirela, OF: Pirela hit well in a half season with the Padres back in 2017, but he’s struggled in the Majors outside that run. He was never able to win the second base gig in San Diego and was lost in the shuffle of their crowded outfield mix. Pirela brings a career .257/.308/.392 MLB slash to his debut season in Japan, but he’s a .311/.362/.493 hitter in Triple-A.

Chunichi Dragons (68-73-2):

  • Dayan Viciedo, 1B: White Sox fans surely remember “The Tank” from his 2010-14 stretch with the South Siders, but he never blossomed into the star they hoped he could. Vicideo hit .254/.298/.424 in just shy of 1800 MLB plate appearances, but he’s a .303/.372/.502 hitter in four seasons as a Dragon.
  • Moises Sierra, OF: Speaking of former White Sox outfielders, Sierra’s run with the ChiSox was much more brief than that of Viciedo. He played 83 games there and 207 total in the big leagues from 2012-18, hitting .235/.287/.362 in the process. Sierra posted outrageous numbers in the Mexican League last year (.355/.464/.572) and will make his NPB debut in 2020.
  • Enny Romero, LHP: Romero pitched quite well for the 2017 Nats but has otherwise struggled in the Majors. He spent most of last season in the Dragons’ rotation, pitching to a 4.26 ERA through 116 1/3 frames.
  • Zoilo Almonte, OF: The 30-year-old Almonte never caught on with the Yankees despite a long look in their farm system, but he’s broken out with the Chunichi club in NPB. In two prior seasons, Almonte is a .323/.372/.491 hitter.

Tokyo Yakult Swallows (59-82-2):

  • Nori Aoki, OF: Aoki may be 38 years old, but he’s still a productive hitter. In 565 plate appearances with the Swallows in 2019, he batted .297/.385/.442 with 16 long balls. That’s more power than he showed in MLB, but his six-year run in the Majors was still quite solid: .285/.350/.387, 10.5 WAR.
  • Alcides Escobar, SS: Aoki’s former Royals teammate will join him for his debut NPB campaign once play resumes in two weeks. The 33-year-old Escobar’s bat tailed off dramatically in his final big league seasons, but he’s a former All-Star, Gold Glove winner and World Series champion.
  • Gabriel Ynoa, RHP: A longtime Mets farmhand, the 27-year-old Ynoa never found much success in the Majors (5.39 ERA in 163 2/3 innings). Ynoa soaked up 110 innings for a disastrous Orioles pitching staff in 2019, but he’ll hope to make more of an impact in his NPB debut.
  • Matt Koch, RHP: Koch, 29, never found his footing in four years with the D-backs or even in Triple-A, but he threw well up through the Double-A level in his career.
  • Scott McGough, RHP: The 30-year-old McGough has just 6 2/3 innings in the Majors, all with the 2015 Marlins, but he was sharp for Yakult in 2019, pitching to a 3.15 ERA with nearly a strikeout per frame in 68 2/3 innings of relief.
  • Albert Suarez, RHP: Once a Rule 5 pick by the Giants, Suarez also saw some time with the Yakult club last season, logging a 1.54 ERA in 17 2/3 frames. He also spent time with their minor league club, but he’ll hope to establish himself further in 2020.
  • Ryota Igarashi, RHP: The 41-year-old Igarashi’s time with the Mets, Yankees and Blue Jays in 2010-12 was ugly, but he’s been a consistently strong bullpen presence in a whopping 17 NPB seasons. Last year’s 2.98 ERA in 42 1/3 frames was a near-match with his 2.93 career mark, although his 5.1 BB/9 mark was a bit of a red flag.

Justin Bour To Sign With NPB’s Hanshin Tigers

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Free agent first baseman Justin Bour has reached an agreement with the Hanshin Tigers of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, Tigers GM Osamu Tanimoto tells the Japan Times. Bour had been outrighted by the Angels at season’s end and elected free agency.

The 31-year-old Bour signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal with the Halos last winter but turned in a career-worst .172/.259/.364 batting line in his short time with the organization. He continued to display above-average walk tendencies (10 percent in 2019; 11.2 percent career) and also showed above-average power (.192 ISO), but Bour’s 30.6 percent strikeout rate this past season was far and away the highest of his career. Ultimately, he played in just 52 games as an Angel and tallied 170 plate appearances.

Bour will head to Japan as a career .253/.337/.457 hitter with 92 home runs, 71 doubles and a pair of triples in 1950 Major League plate appearance — most of which came with the Marlins. He’s never handled left-handed pitching particularly well (.215/.302/.324), but he owns a stout .262/.345/.490 career batting line against right-handed pitching.

Angels Outright Five Players

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The Angels announced today that they’ve outrighted five players from their 40-man roster, all of whom elected free agency rather than accepting an assignment to Triple-A. First baseman Justin Bour, righties Nick Tropeano and Luis Garcia, southpaw Miguel Del Pozo, and two-way player Kaleb Cowart are all now on the open market.

It isn’t terribly surprising to see this handful of players sent packing in advance of an offseason that could be laden with change. The three most experienced names bounced from the roster were all eligible for arbitration. MLBTR projected Bour to earn $2.9MM, Garcia to take home $2.3MM, and Tropeano to cost $1.1MM.

That trio fell shy of expectations in 2019, making the salaries untenable. Signed for lefty power, Bour hit just .172/.259/.364 in a Halos uniform. Garcia managed a 4.35 ERA in 62 innings, but carried a suboptimal combination of 8.3 K/9, 4.8 BB/9, and 1.9 HR/9. And Tropeano struggled both in brief MLB action and at Triple-A.

Del Pozo was acquired in August for a trial run, but surrendered 11 earned runs in his first 9 1/3 frames of MLB action. The 27-year-old had shown enhanced strikeout numbers this year at Triple-A, so could be an interesting target. It’s unclear what’s next for Cowart, who attempted to add pitching to his already versatile set of defensive positions. He walked nearly as many batters as he struck out in 17 appearances in the upper minors, working to a cumulative 10.19 ERA.

Angels Option Justin Bour, Will Select Jared Walsh

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The Angels announced following tonight’s game that they’ve optioned first baseman Justin Bour to Triple-A Salt Lake. They’ll make a corresponding roster move prior to tomorrow’s game, which, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register (Twitter link), will be to select the contract of first baseman/left-handed reliever Jared Walsh.

Though Bour is a veteran of parts of six big league seasons, he’s still a couple of months shy of the five full years of MLB service time. Players with five or more years of MLB service can only be optioned to the minors with their consent, but Bour entered the year at four years, 64 days of MLB service and is now at four years, 111 days.

Bour, 30, was non-tendered by the Phillies in the offseason and inked a one-year deal worth $2.5MM with the Halos. At the time, the hope was that he could help fill in for Shohei Ohtani early in the season and then move into some kind of timeshare at first base and designated hitter. But while he entered the year as a career .260/.344/.466 hitter with 84 home runs in 1563 Major League plate appearances, Bour has batted only .163/.268/.316 through 112 plate appearances with his new club. He’s drawn 13 walks in that time, demonstrating strong knowledge of the strike zone, but has also shown questionable contact skills with a 27.7 percent strikeout rate.

If Bour is able to eventually turn things around, the Angels will be able to control him through the 2020 season as an arbitration-eligible player this winter, but that’s a long way from being a consideration at this point. For now, he’ll simply work to earn another crack at the big league roster.

As for Walsh, the 25-year-old is off to a .302/.398/.604 slash with 10 homers and a dozen doubles on the season so far. He’s also pitched five innings of relief and allowed a pair of runs on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He’s more of a position player than a pitcher — Walsh has just 13 2/3 professional innings under his belt in the minors — but he’s an intriguing player to monitor as he gets his first call to the big leagues.

Quick Hits: Kikuchi, Grandal, Dodgers, Angels, Mets, Puig

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Yusei Kikuchi is on his way to Los Angeles to begin his meetings with prospective MLB teams.  The Japanese southpaw told Sports Nippon (hat tip to Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times) that he hasn’t received any official offers from Major League teams, and he didn’t give away any hints about preferred decisions — Kikuchi only answered “of course” when asked if he was open to joining any of the 30 big league clubs.  The 30-day posting window for teams to negotiate with Kikuchi opened on December 4, and representatives from a wide array of teams are expected to make their pitches to Kikuchi in L.A.

More from around the baseball world….

  • The Dodgers are open to re-signing Yasmani Grandal, though on a one-year contract, MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reports.  Los Angeles is hesitant about adding any new catcher on a longer-term deal, as catching prospects Keibert Ruiz and Will D. Smith are both approaching readiness for the majors.  To that end, the Dodgers only had interest in Wilson Ramos on a one-year contract, though they have been heavily linked to J.T. Realmuto (who is controlled through 2020) in trade talks.  Morosi figures that the Dodgers could consider moving pitching prospect Dustin May and one of Ruiz or Smith in any potential Realmuto trade package, though that wouldn’t be enough to meet the Marlins’ large asking price.  “The Dodgers were balking at the inclusion of at least one key player on whom the Marlins were insisting,” Morosi writes.
  • After signing Justin Bour, Angels GM Billy Eppler told reporters (including the Orange County Register’s Jeff Fletcher) that the team isn’t yet sure how the first base/DH playing time will be split up between Bour, Shohei Ohtani, and Albert Pujols.  Ohtani will miss at least some time at the start of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, and will only be a designated hitter when he does return.  Pujols, meanwhile, underwent surgeries on both his knee and elbow last year, leaving it unclear how often the veteran slugger will be able to play first base.  “It’s difficult to forecast and we can’t accurately forecast plate appearances for either of those guys [Ohtani and Pujols].  What’s important is to approach those organically and see what the medical team says as we enter spring training, and see what we can do,” Eppler said.
  • The Mets have A.J. Pollock and “a couple [of] mystery options” on their list of center field targets, Fancred Sports’ Jon Heyman tweets.  Given how aggressive Brodie Van Wagenen has been in his first six weeks as the Mets’ general manager, any number of free agent or trade possibilities could be on the radar.  Pollock would almost surely be one of the pricier options available, as his next contract is likely to cost more by himself than the $49MM in free agent dollars the Mets just spent to land Jeurys Familia and Wilson Ramos.
  • Yasiel Puig in a Giants uniform?  The idea isn’t as outlandish as it sounds, as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle notes that new Giants GM Farhan Zaidi is “is open to dealing with his old team,” the Dodgers.  While it’s quite common for a new general manager to explore players from his former job, the arch-rival Giants and Dodgers have only completed three trades with each other since 1953.  Perhaps for this reason, there haven’t been any whispers about the Giants targeting Puig, though there is something of a fit on paper.  San Francisco is looking for corner outfielders while Los Angeles is looking to clear payroll and perhaps a spot in their outfield for a larger target, and Puig has been specifically mentioned as a potential trade chip.

Angels Sign Justin Bour

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Dec. 15, 1:11 PM: The club has officially announced the signing.

Dec. 12, 7:37 PM: The Angels have struck a deal with first baseman Justin Bour, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The ACES client will receive a $2.5MM salary, presumably on a one-year deal, per Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).

Bour is an interesting addition for the Halos, who already have aging first baseman Albert Pujols (a right-handed hitter) and two-way star Shohei Ohtani (a lefty) on hand as DH options. It seems likely that Bour will take a significant share of the time at first base against right-handed pitching, perhaps squeezing Pujols out of regular plate appearances — at least, that is, if and when Ohtani is ready to return to action at the plate.

The 30-year-old Bour is an intriguing power option, having launched at least twenty long balls in three of the past four seasons. He has generally been quite a high-level offensive producer, though his numbers dipped in 2018 and he doesn’t add value with the other aspects of his game. Though Bour has at times graded as an average defender at first, he’s limited to that position defensively and is an abysmal baserunner.

Of course, this move is about the bat — particularly as it plays against right-handed pitching. In 1,248 career plate appearances with the platoon advantage, Bour carries an impressive .271/.355/.500 slash. It’s worth noting, too, that while his power fell off last year, and he struck out more than ever, Bour also boosted his walk rate to a career-best 14.6%.

Bour’s late-season swoon in 2018 surely did not help his cause, as he batted a lowly .224/.296/.347 in 54 plate appearances down the stretch for the Phillies after coming over from the Marlins. Of course, he also ran into a market situation that has generally been quite poor for lumbering sluggers.

There could certainly be some nice value here for the Halos, who needed to find a way to increase their offensive productivity as Pujols continues to trail off at this late stage of his career. The opportunity could be a good one for Bour as well, if he’s able to force his way into a major role with a Los Angeles club that is trying to capitalize on its remaining two years of control over superstar Mike Trout.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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