Camila Sosa
Once the lockout that delayed the start of the 2022 Major League Baseball season ended, a shower of player changes in MLB were present due to the good amount of time the teams were not operating. That is why, a couple of weeks before Opening Day, here are five possible changes that we will see to close a very busy preseason.
5.- Eric Hosmer
The arrival of Luke Voit, via trade from the Yankees, and the millionaire contract that Hosmer has with the organization do not play in favor of the first baseman staying a while longer in San Diego. Although of course it is not an incentive for him to be changed so easily, since he still has four seasons and $60 million dollars left on his contract and a no change clause in his power that gives him the power to veto any transfer to 10 teams within the league.
The Padres have had Hosmer in the market since last year, and offers for him were heard again once the lockout ended. However, his poor performance with the team, which has not seen the eight-year, $144 million contract he was given in 2018, also doesn’t draw the attention of other organizations that don’t want to commit to so much money for a first baseman who in four years with San Diego barely averaged .263 with 61 home runs.
4.- Frankie Montas
The Oakland Athletics is the team that has changed the most players this preseason, so Frankie Montas‘ hours within the organization seem to be more than counted. The Dominican starter has been fairly consistent on the mound in recent campaigns to the point of finishing sixth in the American League Cy Young voting last year.
While it seems to be a priority for the Athletics to leave Sean Manaea first, who we will also talk about in this note, it is true that Montas could leave at any time, either before the start of the campaign or before the market closes at the end of July, if the organization is offered an interesting transaction for his services.
3.- Craig Kimbrel
Last season the Chicago White Sox wanted to shield their bullpen with two elite closers at the end of the engagement, something that undoubtedly did not go down well with Craig Kimbrel, who was not the same pitcher who closed games at the beginning of 2021 with the Chicago Cubs after being placed as the setup of Liam Hendriks.
According to several reports, the Atlanta Braves were interested in re-acquiring Kimbrel before reaching a deal with Kenley Jansen, so the pitcher could remain on the market as there doesn’t seem to be anything moving Hendriks from the ninth. After two very bad campaigns in 2019 and 2010, last year the pitcher was once again one of the most dominant in baseball and it is not surprising that the White Sox take advantage of him to improve some areas with new acquisitions.
2.- Bryan Reynolds
In three seasons in the Major Leagues Bryan Reynols has hit above .300 in two of them, being 2020, when the regular round was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic, when he did not perform at the plate. Precisely that contact ability and his .368 OBP is what catches the attention of several teams that could take advantage of the Pittsburgh Pirates’ lack of competitiveness to get their services.
What’s more, according to a report by the Miami Herald, the Marlins were close to acquiring him, but the requested price was very high. Then the Miami team acquired the services of Avisaíl García and Jorge Soler. However, don’t be surprised that Reynolds is sooner rather than later taking his bags to another destination.
1.- Sean Manaea
As for Manaea, he will be leaving the Athletics faster than Montas for one simple reason: the sinister will receive more silver this season than the Dominican ($9 million vs. $5 million), and at the end of the campaign he will become a free agent unlike his teammate who is under contract with the organization until 2023.
Last season Manaea left very good numbers with Oakland to fully meet his ability to pitch below 4.00 ERA, since after 727 innings pitched in the Major Leagues shows EFE of 3.91. In addition, in 2021 he was the leader of the American in complete games with two and leader of all Major Leagues with a pair of whitewashes.
The Athletics have received multiple offers for him, and while he could start the campaign as the team’s Opening Day starter, after the departure of Matt Olson, Matt Chapman and Chris Bassitt, the departures of Manaea and Montas are just around the corner.
