The Cubs have agreed to signal Trey Mancini to a two-year contract, in accordance with ESPN’s Jesse Rogers (Twitter link). Mancini, a shopper of the Frontline company, can decide out of the deal following the 2023 season if he amasses at the least 350 plate appearances within the first yr of the contract, 670 The Rating’s Bruce Levine reviews (via Twitter). Additionally from Levine, Mancini will earn $14MM in assured cash over the 2 years of the deal, and one other $7MM is on the market in bonus clauses associated to plate appearances.
Reviews linking Mancini to the Cubs first surfaced in December, and although Chicago addressed its first base want by signing Eric Hosmer simply over every week in the past, the Wrigleyville membership maintained its curiosity in Mancini’s providers. After all, Mancini may play each nook outfield spots along with first base, and Mancini’s right-handed bat offers a pleasant complement to lefty-swingers Hosmer and Matt Mervis within the first base/DH combine.
As Rogers indicated in a follow-up tweet, Mervis may now be slated to start 2023 in Triple-A, reasonably than instantly step into a daily position within the Cubs lineup in his first style of MLB motion. Mervis is coming into solely his third season of affiliated baseball, and whereas Mervis roughly got here out of nowhere to shred minor league pitching in 2022, it seems just like the Cubs would like to ease Mervis into the massive leagues, and rely extra on established veterans like Mancini and Hosmer at the least within the early a part of the 2023 marketing campaign.
After spending his whole profession with the Orioles, Mancini is now taking part in for his third group in lower than six months, following the commerce deadline transfer that despatched Mancini from Baltimore to Houston. Mancini’s time with the Astros paid off within the greatest kind potential as soon as Houston captured the World Collection, although Mancini himself wasn’t a giant a part of that push to the championship. Mancini hit solely .176/.258/.364 over 186 plate appearances with the Astros throughout the common season, after which had solely a single hit over 24 PA within the playoffs.
With this underwhelming end in thoughts, it isn’t stunning that Mancini and his representatives sought out an opt-out clause, as a extra spectacular platform yr may set Mancini up properly for a pricier contract subsequent winter. Mancini turns 31 in March, however even when he re-enters the market subsequent winter prematurely of his age-32 season, the veteran ought to nonetheless be in place to land a strong multi-year dedication if he returns to his outdated kind. Mancini hasn’t been in that high kind since 2019, although clearly some very tough circumstances have interfered in his profession path.
After lacking the whole 2020 season as a result of a battle with Stage 3 colon most cancers, Mancini performed in 147 video games with the Orioles in 2021, successful AL Comeback Participant Of The Yr honors for his inspirational return. Mancini received off to a powerful begin on the plate that yr earlier than fading down the stretch, as he needed to get re-acclimated after lacking a full season. Mancini’s historically robust manufacturing at Camden Yards took a dip, because the right-handed hitter was naturally impacted by the Orioles’ determination to maneuver again the left-field fences previous to the 2022 season. The end result was a modest .283/.338/.411 slash line over 198 PA at Camden Yards final yr, effectively beneath his profession norms.
All in all, Mancini has hit .247/.323/.412 over 1203 PA for the reason that begin of the 2021 marketing campaign, translating to a 104 wRC+ that’s solely barely above the league common. Between the brand new dimensions in Baltimore and the midseason adjustment to taking part in in Houston, Mancini’s bat may re-awaken just by taking part in his residence video games within the Pleasant Confines of Wrigley Subject. As well as, Mancini has now had a full and regular offseason, as even final winter’s preparations had been interrupted by the lockout.
It has been a busy offseason for Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, who has aggressively added veteran expertise as a way to flip the Cubs again in the direction of competition after a lot of the final two seasons had been spent in a rebuild. Like Mancini’s deal, a lot of the contracts have been shorter-term preparations, equivalent to a one-year take care of Cody Bellinger, or the Hosmer signing for a minimal wage (for the reason that Padres are nonetheless on the hook for the rest of Hosmer’s contract).
Past these shorter offers, Chicago additionally splurged in inking Dansby Swanson to a seven-year, $177MM contract and Jameson Taillon to a four-year deal price $68MM. Roster Resource projected the Cubs for roughly a $176.6MM payroll earlier than Mancini’s $7MM common annual worth was added to the combo, so there could possibly be extra spending capability for additional strikes contemplating the Cubs spent effectively over the $200MM mark as lately as 2019.
Picture courtesy of USA As we speak Sports activities Photos
