First baseman Eric Hosmer announced his retirement from professional baseball on social media on Wednesday. Hosmer never latched on with another team after he was released by the Chicago Cubs last May. The 34-year-old left-handed hitter played in just 31 games in 2023 and went 22-for-94 (.234) with two homers and 14 RBI before getting released. An All-Star with the Kansas City Royals in 2016, Hosmer had a career .276/.335/.427 slash line, 198 home runs and 893 RBI in 13 major-league seasons, also winning four Gold Gloves at first base. He won a World Series ring with the Royals in 2015 and quickly started to decline after signing a big contract as a free agent with the San Diego Padres before the 2018 season. In a two-year span with KC from 2016-17, Hosmer hit .292 with 50 homers and 198 RBI in 320 games.
The Chicago Cubs officially released first baseman Eric Hosmer on Thursday after they designated him for assignment last week. Hosmer is likely to land with another organization given the fact that the San Diego Padres are still paying most of his salary, but it's probably a long shot at this point that the 33-year-old left-handed hitter will contribute to fantasy rosters. In 31 games for the Cubs in 2023, Hosmer went 22-for-94 (.234) with three doubles, two home runs, 14 RBI and 25 strikeouts in 100 plate appearances. The arrival of first base prospect Matt Mervis in Chicago spelled the end for Hosmer in his short time with the Cubbies.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Eric Hosmer has been designated for assignment on Friday. Honestly, it was just a matter of time after Hosmer was recently moved to a bench role. The Cubs don't have the room for Hosmer on the roster with youngster Matt Mervis up and playing everyday at first base. Hosmer slashed .234/.280/.330 with two homers and 14 RBI in 27 games for the Cubs. He might catch on elsewhere for an organization in desperate need of help at first base. However, it doesn't appear that Hosmer has much left in the tank.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Eric Hosmer is not in the starting lineup on Friday against the Los Angeles Dodgers and left-hander Julio Urias. The Cubs are going with a righty heavy lineup against the tough left-hander in the second game of a four-game series against LA. Hosmer has the strong side of a platoon at the cold corner for Chicago to begin the year, and he's currently hitting .240 (12-for-50) with two doubles, a home run, 10 RBI and six runs scored in 55 plate appearances over 16 games in his first year with the Cubbies. With Hosmer on the bench, Trey Mancini will start at first base and hit seventh against Urias. Mancini has struggled this year so far, going 13-for-60 (.217) with a homer and nine RBI in 15 games played.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Eric Hosmer will start on the bench for the second straight day Monday as the Cubs take on A's left-hander Kyle Muller. Hosmer has struggled so far this season but his sitting can be attributed to seeing a second straight left-handed starter as he began Sunday's contest on the bench against Dodgers southpaw Julio Urias and will do so again tonight against Muller. The veteran is hitting just .250 without a home run alongside a .618 OPS across 44 trips to the plate. The Cubs not only added Hosmer at first base this winter but also the righty-swinging Trey Mancini who will get the starts against left-handed pitching. As a result, it's entirely possible Hosmer could start on the bench for a third straight game Tuesday against A's left-hander Ken Waldichuk.
The Chicago Cubs agreed to a major-league deal with free-agent first baseman Eric Hosmer on Wednesday, according to sources. Terms of the deal haven't been made available yet, but it wouldn't be surprising if it was just a one-year deal. The 33-year-old began last season with the San Diego Padres before being shipped to the Boston Red Sox at the Aug. 2 trade deadline. He ended the season with a bum back and was designated for assignment and then released at the end of December. He'll likely be the team's starting first baseman to begin the 2023 campaign, but his power is declining and he won't be all that attractive at the position in shallow mixed fantasy leagues. Hosmer finished 2022 by hitting .268/.334/.382 with a .716 OPS, only eight home runs, 44 RBI and 38 runs scored in 104 total games.
The Chicago Cubs agreed to a major-league deal with the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, according to sources. Terms of the deal haven't been made available yet, but it wouldn't be surprising if it was just a one-year deal. The 33-year-old began last season with the San Diego Padres before being shipped to the Boston Red Sox at the Aug. 2 trade deadline. He ended the season with a bum back and was designated for assignment and then released at the end of December. He'll likely be the team's starting first baseman to begin the 2023 campaign, but his power is declining and he won't be all that attractive at the position in shallow mixed fantasy leagues. Hosmer finished 2022 by hitting .268/.334/.382 with a .716 OPS, only eight home runs, 44 RBI and 38 runs scored in 104 total games.
The Chicago Cubs are close to agreeing to a deal with free-agent first baseman Eric Hosmer on Tuesday. Hosmer was designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox and then released at the end of December, but it looks like he's going to find a new home in the National League Central. The 33-year-old left-handed hitter continues to see his power decline, and he finished the 2022 campaign by hitting .268/.334/.382 with a .716 OPS, eight home runs, 44 RBI and 38 runs scored in 419 plate appearances and 104 games with the San Diego Padres and Red Sox. If he lands with the Cubbies, he could be used in the strong side of a platoon at first base against right-handed pitching, although at this point in his career he's not very attractive in shallow mixed fantasy leagues at the first base position.
The Chicago Cubs have been in talks with free-agent first baseman Eric Hosmer. It looks promising, but no deal has been agreed upon yet. Hosmer was officially released by the Boston Red Sox last week after being designated for assignment. He began the 2022 season with the San Diego Padres before being traded to Boston at the Aug. 2 deadline. The 33-year-old left-handed first baseman hit a combined .268/.334/.382 with a career-low-tying .716 OPS, eight home runs, 44 RBI and 38 runs scored in 419 plate appearances and 104 games for the Friars and BoSox. In addition to the Cubs, the Baltimore Orioles are reportedly interested in Hosmer. He's never been much of a power threat at the first base position, and he's become even less attractive in fantasy as he loses more of what little power he had towards the end of his career.
The Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles have free-agent first baseman Eric Hosmer on their radar after he was recently released by the Boston Red Sox. The Miami Marlins, who continue to look for more hitters, also make some sense for Hosmer. The 33-year-old spent the first 90 games of the 2022 season with the San Diego Padres before getting traded to Boston at the Aug. 2 deadline. In 104 total games, he hit .268/.334/.382 with a career-low-tying .716 OPS, eight home runs, 44 RBI and 38 runs scored in 419 plate appearances. Hosmer has never had much home-run power (career-high 25 homers in 2016 and 2017), which doesn't make him very attractive in fantasy as any more than corner-infield depth in deeper leagues.
