Free-agent slugger Mark Trumbo is coming off a career season, which will only drive up his value on the market this winter.
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Trumbo Getting Plenty of Interest
Monday, Nov. 14
Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported Monday that the market for Trumbo "is bustling," which will increase the chances of him declining the qualifying offer from his former team, the Baltimore Orioles.
The Orioles extended a $17.2 million offer for 2017 to Trumbo on Nov. 7, per Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun.
The 30-year-old signed with Baltimore via free agency last winter and exceeded his one-year, $9.15 million deal (h/t Spotrac.com) by leaps and bounds in 2016.
He led the majors with a career-high 47 home runs along with 108 RBI as the big bopper of an Orioles lineup that hit an MLB-best 253 home runs.
It was a major resurgence for a player whose career was called into question after a two-year stretch in 2014 and 2015 in which he hit 14 and 22 home runs, respectively, with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners.
For a player whose career batting average is .251, he had to display power in order to remain a legitimate contributor within an MLB lineup.
He had flashed his power upon his introduction to the big leagues with 95 home runs in three years with the Los Angeles Angels, but his first and possibly only year with the Orioles made him a big-time power bat who is now being coveted throughout the league.
While specific suitors for Trumbo have not been disclosed as of yet, FanGraphs' Dave Cameron is projecting Trumbo to sign a four-year, $66 million deal, which brings an average of $16.5 million per year.
If Trumbo were to accept the qualifying offer, he would make more than that but run the risk of a down 2017 season diminishing his value in the long run.
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