The Chicago Cubs will have multiple options to be their starting first baseman in the 2023 season, including Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini. The two veteran sluggers signed off on free agent deals with the Cubs in January.
Matt Mervis may also be in the mix to take hold of the starting first base job for Chicago this year. Mervis blossomed in the Cubs’ minor league system in 2022, as he combined for 36 home runs and 119 RBI across the Triple-A, Double-A, and High-A levels.
As it stands, the Cubs plan on rolling out Hosmer at first base against right-handed pitchers this season, which team president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer touched on during a recent appearance on the New York Post’s “The Show” podcast.
“My expectation is that [Hosmer] is certainly gonna play first base against right-handed pitching and be given that shot,” Hoyer said. “We had talked to San Diego a number of times over the last couple of years, I knew this was a place that I think he was excited to play.
“He loves the idea of playing at Wrigley and I’m excited to — you know, he was in a tough situation at San Diego, constantly being rumored in deals and things like that — so I’m excited to get Eric here, make him comfortable.”
Hosmer had quite a roller-coaster 2022 campaign. He featured for the San Diego Padres until they opted to trade him to the Boston Red Sox in August. He hit .245 and recorded 35 RBI against right-handed pitchers in the year.
Hoyer also plans to count on Mancini and Mervis in the upcoming campaign.
“We signed Mancini — he can DH, he can play first, play a little corner outfield — but we really needed more power,” Hoyer said. “We have a team that does some good things offensively but lacked sort of like the punching power last year. We struggled to score runs in bunches, and we struggled to hit homers, and adding Mancini was really exciting for us.
“And then obviously Mervis had a great year in the minors, and you can’t have enough depth.”
A pivotal 2023 season awaits the Cubs next month.
Follow Us
Subscribe