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Yasiel Puig

6 Potential DH Contributors For NL Clubs

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The National League appears likely to implement the designated hitter in 2020 — much to the chagrin of many fans — suddenly giving 15 clubs the potential to bulk up their lineup with another non-pitcher bat. Several teams already have logical in-house options to fill that spot. However, there are a handful of yet-unsigned position players who’ll welcome the seemingly forthcoming influx of DH spots as they look to get another chance at the big league level. Let’s run through some still-available names…

  • Yasiel Puig (29 years old): Puig was still a perfectly fine defensive right fielder last season, grading out as average via Defensive Runs Saved, Ultimate Zone Rating and Outs Above Average. A team may not look at him as a full-time DH because of that, but a club with an already-set outfield could now switch a more defensively challenged option to DH and slot Puig into right field. Or, Puig could simply rotate through DH and the outfield corners on a new NL club. The Giants have been oft-connected to Puig and have a piecemeal mix of options in the outfield. At the very least, an added DH spot wouldn’t hurt his chances of landing in San Francisco (or anywhere else in the NL).
  • Jose Bautista (39): Joey Bats generated some chatter this winter when word got out that he was contemplating a return as a two-way player. The former home run champ set the record straight last month, indicating that while he did throw some bullpen sessions with friend/former teammate Marcus Stroman this winter and would welcome the opportunity, he’s more focused on a return as a hitter. Bautista’s glovework declined quite a bit in his late 30s, but he walked at a 14 percent clip and posted a .168 ISO in his final two seasons in 2017-18. He’s kept himself in shape — could he have one more run left in him?
  • Mark Trumbo (34): Knee problems torpedoed Trumbo’s 2019 season and much of his 2018 campaign as well, though he did return late last year to appear in a dozen games with the Orioles. While 2019 was a lost season, the slugger hit .261/.313/.452 in 358 plate appearances in 2018 (105 wRC+, 108 OPS+). Trumbo has never been much of an OBP threat, but he has massive power from the right side — evidenced by an MLB-best 47 homers in 2016. He was open about his uncertain baseball future back in November, but 15 new DH slots could give him an unexpected opportunity.
  • Melky Cabrera (35): The Melk Man is still hoping to play another couple seasons, but deteriorating glovework has become increasingly difficult to overlook. That said, the switch-hitter hasn’t batted lower than .273 in the past decade, and his contact skills generally make him a source of a respectable OBP even though he doesn’t walk that much. Cabrera’s .280/.313/.399 slash with the Pirates last year was below-average on the whole (88 OPS+, 85 wRC+), but he was an average or better hitter in the three preceding seasons. Melky carried an .807 OPS into the All-Star break last year, but he hit just .231/.257/.306 down the stretch as his role shrunk. To his credit, he struck out at just a 10.3 percent clip last year.
  • Hanley Ramirez (36): HanRam’s comeback attempt with the Indians last year was a bust. He homered in his second game of the season but went deep just once more, posting an ugly .184/.298/.327 slash in 57 plate appearances before being cut loose. Ramirez underwent shoulder surgery last summer, revealing that he’d been plagued by shoulder pain for several years and making clear that he hoped to play in 2020. He played in the Dominican Winter League this offseason, hitting .273/.298/.418 in 57 plate appearances. Ramirez has a lot to prove, but maybe an NL club would take a flier in a rebooted Spring/Summer Training and hope to catch lightning in a bottle.
  • Lucas Duda (34): Nothing went right for Duda last year, although the Royals still gave him 119 plate appearances. In that time, he posted a disastrous .171/.252/.324 slash, and he wasn’t much better in Triple-A, hitting .202/.281/.303 in 114 PAs between the affiliates for Kansas City and Atlanta. Duda showed solid power while bouncing around the league in the two seasons prior, hitting .228/.318/.482 with 44 home runs in 253 games spread across five teams — including a 30-homer effort in 2017. Last year didn’t inspire any confidence, but he’s only 34 and could perhaps operate as a platoon option or lefty bench bat.

There are still some other unsigned players. Scooter Gennett never latched on with a team this winter. Tim Beckham remains unsigned, though he still has to serve the final 32 games of an 80-game PED ban. Russell Martin is a free agent. It’s doubtful that any of those players would markedly impact a team’s DH picture or see his market improved by the new presence of a DH (although any could draw increased interest as a bench option by virtue of expanded rosters). It’s also possible that some veterans on minor league deals could opt out or be cut loose once training camp resumes, thus entering the mix for potential DH work in the NL. Carlos Gonzalez, for instance, was reportedly unlikely to make the Mariners’ roster.

Most clubs will probably prefer to handle the DH spot internally rather than hand out more money at a time when revenue is already being slashed by the pandemic stoppage. But for the non-Puig veterans here who are simply looking for one more chance to revive their careers, a sizable commitment wouldn’t be expected anyhow. Whether it’s one final run for Joey Bats (with a bullpen appearance or two?), a Hanley Homecoming in Miami, a Trumbo resurgence or any number of other scenarios, there could be some fun storylines to follow.

Quick Hits: Puig, Giants, Daniels, Starling

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Let’s check in on three of the majors’ franchises…

  • A report over the weekend all but placed free-agent outfielder Yasiel Puig in a Giants uniform. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco doesn’t seem nearly as confident a deal will come together, though, and Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic via text, “We are not having any conversations (internal or external) about player transactions at this point.” However, as Baggarly notes, that doesn’t mean a Puig signing isn’t under consideration. There’s a freeze on transactions because of the coronavirus, so even if the Giants do intend to pick up Puig, they’ll have to continue to wait to make the move. For what it’s worth, it wasn’t long ago that the Giants reportedly showed interest in Puig, who has a couple important connections in San Francisco. Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler were both members of the Dodgers organization during at least part of Puig’s run with the Giants’ archrivals from 2013-18.
  • Optimism about a 2020 season getting underway seems to be growing. One idea that came to the forefront last week includes a three-state plan in which Arizona, Florida and Texas would divvy up the games. Rangers president of baseball operations Jon Daniels spoke about that with Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, saying: “For a variety of factors, it makes a lot of sense. We’ve had some involvement from a due diligence standpoint, but I would not want to overstate that piece of it. I think [Dodgers president] Stan Kasten said about one percent of all ideas have become public; there have been a lot of ideas. That’s just one.” If a season does occur, the Rangers – after a fairly aggressive winter – will look to bounce back from three straight sub-.500 campaigns. Their roster doesn’t seem likely to undergo any more significant changes before a potential season happens. Asked how much time the Rangers have recently spent talking to other teams about upgrading their club, Daniels told Grant, “Very little; close to none.”
  • Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star details how Royals outfielder Bubba Starling is dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. As you’d expect, Starling is hoping to return to the field as soon as possible. The out-of-options 27-year-old had been competing to earn a roster spot before spring training shut down. Starling’s a former No. 5 overall draft pick in 2011 who had a run as an outstanding MLB prospect, but his career hasn’t gone according to plan thus far. He debuted in the majors last year and batted just .215/.255/.317 over 197 plate appearances. Starling also hasn’t been very productive in Triple-A ball, where he has hit .255/.305/.376 in 805 attempts, but he could still make a rebuilding KC team that’s in position to give chances to unproven players.

Yasiel Puig Says Multiple Teams Have Made Offers

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Lest we forget, there are a number of established big-leaguers who went unsigned this winter and are still available to MLB teams. And while there aren’t any Dallas Keuchels or Craig Kimbrels out there, teams could still find some value in free agency. Undoubtedly, the biggest name still on the market is 29-year-old outfielder Yasiel Puig. The former Dodger, who is no longer the dynamite rookie who burst onto the scene in 2013, had some trouble securing a deal during the winter, and the delayed season means that he’ll have to spend more time without a team.

It was reported that Puig turned down a $10MM contract offer from a National League team during the offseason, and the consensus is that it was the Marlins who made that offer. But Puig said in an interview with Jorge Ebro of el Nuevo Herald that there are teams besides the Marlins that have offered him a deal since then. He says that the Marlins were among the first to make an offer, adding that his price tag was higher for Miami, where his native Cuban fanbase might unreasonably expect him to go 5-for-5 every night.

Of course, with rosters currently frozen and transactions on hold, Puig won’t be able to sign until MLB has set a date for Opening Day and baseball operations are able to operate as normal. With that said, there may be enough interest that when that time comes, Puig’s extended free agency will come to an end.

We don’t know how many teams have made offers, or the identities of those teams. Many teams who entered the offseason with outfield needs have already addressed those positions, so there are relatively few good fits remaining for Puig. Still, the Giants have had their name floated as a team that could be in the market for Puig’s services and were rumored to be considering him before the stoppage. Speculatively, a rebuilding team like the Tigers might be in the mix, but there hasn’t been anything concrete to suggest that.

Puig said that he doesn’t think there will be an MLB season in 2020, but if there is, he will be on the field for a team. And if not, he’s confident he’ll be back in 2021. There’s no doubt that he brings a unique spice to the game, so we hope that he finds a way onto an MLB roster by the time baseball is back.

Revisiting Yasiel Puig’s 2019

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Free agency in Major League Baseball opened way back in the beginning of November. At that point, nobody would have expected outfielder Yasiel Puig to remain without a job into April, but here we are. It’s going to stay that way for at least a little while longer, too, after MLB put a stop to transactions last week in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

It’s hard to believe it has come to this for Puig, who has enjoyed an impressive career overall and who entered the offseason as MLBTR’s 37th-ranked free agent. We predicted Puig would land a one-year, $8MM contract, and he reportedly rejected a $10MM offer at some point during the winter, but it’s now difficult to envision him matching or eclipsing either figure on his next contract.

Why is Puig still a man without a team? Well, he didn’t do himself any favors with a middling 2019 performance divided between the Reds and Indians. Puig, a high-profile, oft-electrifying Dodger from 2013-18, entered Cincinnati as a .279/.353/.478 hitter (good for a 129 wRC+) with 108 home runs, 60 stolen bases and 19.7 fWAR in 2,765 plate appearances. Despite his generally above-average numbers, the Dodgers grew weary of the mercurial Puig even before they traded him, as they optioned him to the minors and placed him on revocable trade waivers during the 2016 season. That was one of the least productive seasons Puig has ever had, but he at least bounced back on offense from 2017-18.

Unfortunately for Puig, he regressed to his 2016 form during his platform campaign, even posting a matching 101 wRC+. The 29-year-old did smack 24 home runs and steal 19 bases, but his .267/.327/.458 line across 611 plate appearances was essentially average, while the 1.2 fWAR he logged represents the worst of his career over a full season. That said, Puig’s output last year wasn’t entirely dissimilar from his 2018, during which his batting line was 23 percent better than the league mean, according to wRC+. He also batted .267 and recorded a .327 on-base percentage that year, but Puig’s slugging percentage (.494) was superior by 36 points; meanwhile, his isolated power number (.227) was better by 36.

For the most part, Puig’s hard-hit percentage and average exit velocity stayed static in 2019, but he went to the opposite field about 5 percent more than he had during his Dodgers day. That helps explain the drop in power from 2018, as does Puig’s ineptitude against offspeed pitches. After battering offspeed offerings for a .380 weighted on-base average in 2018, Puig sunk to .281 last year. That won’t necessarily stick, though – after all, Puig did put up an even worse .226 in the offspeed category in 2016 before raising his output by 100-some points from 2017-18.

Meantime, Puig was a mixed bag at best on the defensive front in 2019. Overall, Puig has been a plus defender in the majors, but he ended last season with zero Defensive Runs Saved (only the second season in which he wasn’t a plus in that category), zero Outs Above Average and a minus-0.7 Ultimate Zone Rating. Puig also ranked in the bottom sixth percentile on Statcast’s Outfielder Jump leaderboard, though he did wind up in the league’s top 79th percentile in Sprint Speed.

While last season was clearly a mediocre showing by Puig, that doesn’t mean he should still be without an employer – especially considering his track record. Of course, if Puig did indeed misread things enough to say no to a $10MM guarantee, it’s partially his fault that he remains the most prominent free agent on a market that has come to a temporary halt. If and when life gets back to normal this year, it’ll be interesting to see whether Puig signs. He still looks like a player who could benefit at least some teams, particularly rebuilding types that could take a short-term flier on him and then flip him around the trade deadline (that’s assuming a season and a deadline occur).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Yasiel Puig Rumors: Marlins, Giants

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Free agency is not at the forefront of baseball fans’ minds right now, but there’s still at least one rather talented player without a job. That’s 29-year-old outfielder Yasiel Puig, who – despite a mostly solid career of production – has encountered a tepid market since last season ended. Puig did reportedly turn down a one-year, $10MM offer from a National League team in recent months, but it’s unclear which club presented that proposal to Puig. The belief, however, is that the Marlins made him an offer at some point, Jon Heyman of MLB Network said on the latest edition of the Big Time Baseball Podcast.

While the Marlins may have tried to sign Puig during the winter, it appears they’re out on him now after adding fellow veteran OFer Corey Dickerson on a two-year, $17.5MM contract back in December. Nevertheless, all hope isn’t necessarily lost for Puig, whom some teams are still considering, Heyman says. The Giants are among the clubs on the list, reports Heyman, who expects Puig to sign somewhere this month (Heyman stated that before the coronavirus forced MLB to temporarily shut down operations Thursday, so it could affect Puig’s chances).

This is not the first time there has been a Puig-Giants connection since last season concluded. As of February, though, negotiations between the two sides had reportedly died down after the Giants brought back old pal Hunter Pence. He’s now set to team with Mike Yastrzemski and Alex Dickerson as the Giants’ top corner outfield choices, though those two can’t match Puig in overall track record, nor do they hit from the same side (Puig’s a righty, while Yastrzemski and Dickerson are lefties). Pence, also a righty, outhit Puig last year, but he may be more of a reserve now that he’s back in the DH-less National League.

Should an agreement between Puig and the Giants eventually come together, he’d reunite with president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi and new manager Gabe Kapler. Both Zaidi and Kapler were Dodgers employees during part of Puig’s run in Los Angeles from 2013-18. Puig was largely a productive (albeit polarizing) Dodger, though his output at the plate dropped off last year between the Reds and Indians, which is one reason he remains without a team as we approach the middle of March.

MLBTR Poll: When Will Yasiel Puig Sign?

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The beginning of Major League Baseball’s regular season is just over two weeks away, yet high-profile outfielder Yasiel Puig still doesn’t have a job. The onetime All-Star and former Dodger, Red and Indian is the lone straggler from MLBTR’s offseason-opening ranking of the sport’s top 50 free agents. At that point, we forecast a one-year, $8MM contract for Puig, who reportedly turned down a $10MM guarantee from an unknown team sometime over the winter. Otherwise, reported interest in the polarizing Puig has been scarce.

Unfortunately for Puig, he didn’t reach free free agency at the ideal juncture. For one, there were similarly valuable or better corner outfielders available (Nick Castellanos, Marcell Ozuna, Corey Dickerson and Kole Calhoun come to mind). And though Puig was a star at times earlier in his career in Los Angeles, he combined for a mediocre 3.0 fWAR from 2018-19. Last season was especially middling for Puig, who slashed .267/.327/.458 in 611 plate appearances. While Puig did hit 24 home runs and steal 19 bases, his overall offensive output amounted to a 101 wRC+, which basically means he was a league-average performer with the bat.

As unspectacular as his numbers may have been last year, there’s certainly still an argument that Puig would be worth the trouble for someone. Earlier this week, Dan Szymborski of FanGraphs made a compelling case for the Rangers to sign him on the heels of the fractured jaw fellow outfielder Willie Calhoun suffered Sunday. They’re one potential fit. But there are more teams that may be able to benefit from Puig’s presence.

Several rebuilding or non-contending clubs (the Giants, Rockies, Marlins, Orioles, Tigers and Mariners make for a half-dozen examples) are set to bring uninspiring-looking outfields to the table. Puig wouldn’t turn any of them into winners, but a few decent months could allow one of those teams to get something back for him at the July trade deadline. Even prospective contenders like the Yankees and Athletics may have needs in the grass at the moment, depending on how certain injury situations shake out. Meanwhile, the Indians – with whom Puig finished 2019 – don’t exactly boast a veritable Murderers’ Row out there.

Ultimately, it may take a serious injury in either the spring or near the start of the regular season for Puig to land somewhere in the next few weeks. But it’s odd that he remains available now – especially considering he doesn’t have a qualifying offer hanging over his head, as the likes of Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel did a year ago.

Puig has now been on the market for four-plus months. How much longer do you expect him to stay there?

(Poll link for app users)

Latest On Yasiel Puig

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The Major League Baseball season is set to open in just a few weeks, and outfielder Yasiel Puig surprisingly remains without a job. Could a return to Southern California, where he played and sometimes thrived in Los Angeles from 2013-18, be in the offing? The Angels have at least “considered” signing Puig, though “not too seriously,” Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times writes. The belief is that Puig turned down a one-year, $10MM contract from a National League club, Shaikin adds, but i’s unclear when the team presented Puig with that offer.

The Angels recently tried to upgrade their outfield with a different Dodger in Joc Pederson, but the trade between the two LA teams trade fell apart. It now appears they’re prepared to ride with in-house possibilities, per Shaikin, who reports they’re more inclined to spend available resources on pitching than their lineup.

As for the Angels’ current outfield setup, Brian Goodwin’s the favorite to start in right field alongside center fielder Mike Trout and left fielder Justin Upton. Goodwin, a waiver claim last March, put up respectable numbers over a full season of work during his first year with the club. He’ll continue to keep the seat warm for uber-prospect Jo Adell, who figures to make his major league debut sometime in 2020, and the Angels also have utility player David Fletcher and another talented prospect, Brandon Marsh, on hand as possibilities. Marsh, however, has been slowed by a left elbow strain.

Considering the options already on the roster, Puig and Angels don’t look like a perfect match. Elsewhere, nobody seems to be pursuing Puig with much gusto at this point, even though he could at least improve some non-contenders’ outfields and emerge as a trade chip around the July deadline. One problem for Puig is that he posted a less-than-ideal platform in 2019. Although he did rack up 24 home runs and 19 stolen bases across 611 plate appearances, Puig batted a so-so .267/.327/.458 – good for a 101 wRC+ that comes up well shy of his lifetime mark (124).

Quick Hits: Puig, Arbitration Process, Royals, Montgomery

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The status of top remaining free agent Yasiel Puig remains up in the air as Spring Training baseball kicks off today. The mercurial and ever-entertaining pugilist got everyday at-bats in 2019 after a couple years of more judicious playing time with the Dodgers – but the results don’t have teams lined up with contract offers. Puig hit .267/.327/.458 across 611 plate appearances with the Reds and Indians with 24 home runs and 84 RBIs. Puig’s singular personality makes his on-field contributions just a part of the overall package, but even after a year of modest production (101 wRC+), Puig ought to be able to find a job somewhere. Latest reports have the White Sox and Rockies as potential landing spots for Puig, per Hector Gomez of Deportivo Z 101. The Athletic’s Nick Groke downplays the Rockies interest (via Twitter), however. 

  • CAA agent Jeff Berry lost two arbitration cases this week. Arbitration panels chose the team award amount in cases for J.T. Realmuto and Josh Hader, two transformative performers trying to make their cases to earn beyond the scope of their positional historical comps, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. Said Berry of the proceedings, “This was about two guys (Hader and Realmuto) willing to go to the mat to fight for what’s right, and hopefully other players take notice.”  It’s possible to look at the results and presume that Berry overestimated his cases for both superstars (within the confines of the current system). It’s surely a fine line between fighting for the best result in an uneven system and politicking for change. Either way, the arbitration panel could use some work. Rosenthal brought a particularly interesting point to the foreground, noting that either the players’ union or MLB “can unilaterally fire any arbitrator at any time.” That’s certainly an inflection point for turning a supposedly unbiased system into one rife for manipulation.
  • After trading for Cubs’ swingman Mike Montgomery in July, the Royals believe he can reach another gear when settled into a starting role, per Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star. The Cubs thought the same thing when they acquired Montgomery in the middle of 2016. Though the Cubs never found consistent work for Montgomery in the rotation, he played an important role as a swingman for Chicago. And of course, never forget, he earned the save in game seven of the 2016 World Series. Not for nothing, but Montgomery has desired a rotation slot for some time now, and it could be that the consistency and trust the Royals plan on giving him in his role will have the desired effect – but only time will tell. In 13 starts after the trade last season, Montgomery went 2-7 with a 4.64 ERA/5.23 FIP while striking out 7.2 batters per nine innings.

Latest On Yasiel Puig

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TODAY: Negotiations between the Giants and Puig are “all but dead,” according to Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area.  Puig isn’t a priority for the team now that Pence and Billy Hamilton have been added to San Francisco’s outfield mix.

FEBRUARY 7: Yasiel Puig has been the top dog on the free agent market for over a week now. His market situation remains largely unclear, though a few new tidbits of information have emerged today.

Both the Rays and Giants have given some indication of interest in the 29-year-old outfielder, per reports from Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link) and Robert Murray (via Twitter). It’s not clear in either case just how extensive the interest is.

Trouble is, both teams face some rather clear limitations on paper. The San Francisco club made quite a bit more sense before they reportedly struck a deal today with Hunter Pence. It’s still possible to imagine a fit, but that’d mean crowding out some of the players to whom the team has seemingly wished to provide opportunities.

Down in Tampa Bay, chasing after Puig would presumably represent a value-driven proposition. After all, there’s no need from a roster perspective. The Rays already have two righty bats in their corner outfield mix in Hunter Renfroe and Jose Martinez. No doubt the budget-conscious club would only move on Puig if it gets a bargain and/or has other machinations in mind for making a late tweak to its roster mix.

As we covered in the above-linked post, there are some other conceivable fits on paper. But as yet we haven’t heard of keen interest from many of the teams that could possibly match. With only a week or so left until camps open, it’ll be interesting to see how this situation develops.

Who Signs First, Yasiel Puig Or Brock Holt?

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After two winters of pretty stagnant free agent movement, it is somewhat remarkable that 48 of the players on MLBTR’s Top 50 Free Agents list have already found new teams by February 2.  We look back at all these signings and the nonstop array of misses in our — okay, my — set of picks in the free agent prediction contest, only two players remain available, both former All-Stars: the controversial Yasiel Puig (37th in our rankings) and longtime Red Sox utilityman Brock Holt (41st).

Jeff Todd examined Puig’s market earlier this week, listing a wide range of teams that could still be speculative fits for the outfielder.  The problem facing Puig, however, is that “speculation” is all we have to go on after an offseason that has been short on hard news about the former Dodger.  The Marlins and White Sox were both linked to Puig at various points, though those clubs seem to have already addressed their outfield needs, as Miami signed Corey Dickerson and Chicago acquired Nomar Mazara in a trade with the Rangers.  An argument could be made that Puig might still be a fit for the Sox as a platoon partner with Mazara, though the Pale Hose seem committed to seeing if Mazara can still blossom as an everyday player (and if necessary, another right-handed outfielder could potentially be found at a lower price tag than Puig).

The Tigers were our pick for Puig’s next team back in November, though GM Al Avila recently said that Puig was “not a priority” for the club, despite Detroit’s lack of outfield depth.  It could be a bit of gamesmanship on Avila’s part if there are some negotiations going on with Puig’s representatives, though it could also reflect a potential league-wide truth — Puig isn’t seen as a must-have option.  He might not receive many looks until we get deeper into Spring Training, and opportunities develop due to injuries, or teams becoming dissatisfied with their in-house outfield choices.

Puig hasn’t been his biggest ally due to some of his off-the-field antics, though that focus on his personality tends to obscure the fact that he is still only 29 years old, and still a productive player.  Even acknowledging that 2019 was a down year, Puig still batted .267/.327/.458 with 24 homers over 611 PA with the Reds and Indians, good for a league-average 100 OPS+ and 101 wRC+.  You have to figure that some team will eventually take the leap to sign Puig because of what he has demonstrated over his seven MLB seasons.

Holt is older (31) than Puig and seemingly has none of the baggage, as Holt was popular with both teammates and fans over seven years with the Red Sox.  Holt has been a classic jack-of-all-trades over his career, making at least nine starts at every position on the diamond except pitcher and catcher and filling in whenever a need has arisen.  For instance, Holt has primarily played second base over the last two years due to Dustin Pedroia’s ongoing knee problems.  Over 2295 plate appearances, Holt has also provided a solid average (.271) and on-base percentage (.340), even if his .374 slugging percentage doesn’t promise much pop.

Given the trend towards multi-positional players in today’s game, it is somewhat surprising that Holt is still looking for a new team.  With so many clubs seemingly trying to develop a young player into their own version of a super-utilityman like Holt, you’d think one team would have moved to sign the 1.0 version now that he has hit the open market.  Then again, the catch-22 of Holt’s versatility is that while it makes him a fit on virtually any team in baseball, it also (like Puig’s situation) doesn’t make him a “priority” of a signing.  As in, teams will turn to Holt to fill roster holes, but only after they see if their current utility candidates can pan out.

The Reds and Blue Jays have both shown interest in Holt this winter, and the Red Sox also had some talks about a reunion early in the offseason, though there hasn’t been any news on that front since Chaim Bloom was hired as Boston’s chief baseball officer.

We still have time before Spring Training opens, so it might yet be a while before either Puig or Holt put pen to paper on a new contract.  But which do you think will be the first to land with a team?

(Poll link for app users)

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