The Cubs consider free agent first baseman to be a good fit for their roster, per . The pair adds that Hoskins is an attractive potential addition for the Cubs thanks to his postseason experience and his likely openne s to a short-term contract, noting that Hoskinss agent Scott Boras acknowledged that theres potential for a pillow contract for Hoskins this offseason at the GM Meetings last week. Hoskins is in a very unusual situation as a free agent, both because he mi sed the entire 2023 campaign due to an ACL tear during Spring Training but also because a reunion with his former club is all but certainly off the Steven Wright Jersey table. The Phillies have that will be moving to first base on a permanent basis for the club after learning the position while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, while is slated to act as the clubs everyday DH. Those positional changes leave the Phillies without a spot in their lineup for Hoskins, who played some left field early in his career with the Phillies but graded out poorly at the position and has been a first baseman exclusively since 2019. Few teams are in clear need of an upgrade at first base this offseason, as the majority of clubs already have an established regular at the position. The Cubs do not fall into that category, however; while they ranked middle of the pack with a 103 wRC+ from first base last year, that production was buoyed by the contributions of star free agent , who is far from guaranteed to return to Chicago and was primarily used in center field with Chicago last season. Though the Cubs have giving young power bat a run at first base, the youngster has never played the position at the big league level and was responsible for the majority of the clubs production at DH last year, meaning Hoskins could still be a fit even if the club wants to try Morel or a prospect like at first base. While Hoskins mi sing the 2023 campaign has drawn some attention away from him, its worth noting that the 30-year-old has been one of the most consistent hitters in the majors in recent years. Since he made his big league debut in 2017, only 24 hitters have posted a higher wRC+ than Hoskinss 126 figure while stepping up to the plate more frequently than he has. He also ranks 19th in walk rate and 16th in ISO among all qualified hitters since the start of the 2017 season, while keeping his strikeouts limited to a manageable 23.9% clip. Though Hoskins would add another right-handed bat to a lineup that already features Morel, , and on a regular basis, he would provide the club with an additional power bat that the club has lacked in recent years; no player has hit 30 home runs in a season for the Cubs since (38) and (31) did so back in 2019. Hoskins, by contrast, has hit 93 home runs acro s the three seasons of his career where hes recorded at least 500 plate appearances, with a 34-homer campaign in 2018, 29 homers in 2019 and 30 in 2022. Given Chicagos need for power and overall offensive production, both at first base and more generally, in the wake of Bellinger returning to the open market, its hardly a surprise that the club would be interested in Hoskinss services. While many clubs are already set at first base for 2023, the Cubs are far from the only feasible fit for Hoskins this winter. The Brewers are surely looking for an offensive upgrade after posting a 92 wRC+ as a team last year, and things were particularly brutal for the club at first in 2023; only the Astros and Rockies got le s offensive production out of first base than Milwaukee, whose first baseman slashed just .237/.301/.381 with a wRC+ of 83. The Padres are another club that could look to add to their first base/DH mix this offseason, though the clubs payroll and infield are both bogged down by pricey contracts that could make it difficult to make room for Hoskins. The Mariners, Astros, and Angels could all also stand to upgrade at first base, though each has a plausible regular at the positional already in , , and . David Ortiz Jersey
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