Free-agent first baseman Mitch Moreland is one of the more appealing options on the market for teams looking to add power to their lineups.
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Healthy Market Developing for Moreland's Services
Tuesday, Dec. 6
Moreland is being pursued by both Cleveland and the Boston Red Sox, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The Toronto Blue Jays are also talking to Moreland, according to Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball.
His former team, the Texas Rangers, are reportedly out of the running to re-sign him, however.
Moreland, 31, has spent his entire career with the Rangers, hitting 22 or more home runs in three of the past four seasons. In 2016, he hit just .233 but added 22 homers and 60 RBI. It was a bit of a down year after an impressive 2015 that saw him hit .278 with 23 home runs and 85 RBI.
Moreland can be utilized as either a first baseman or a designated hitter, though he's best suited to a platoon in either role, given his struggles against left-handed pitching. In the past three seasons, he's hitting .245 against lefties, with just 10 of his 47 home runs in that time frame coming against southpaws.
Boston, Cleveland and Toronto certainly all make sense as potential destinations. Boston is in the market for a designated hitter after David Ortiz's retirement, while Cleveland and Toronto may need to replace Mike Napoli and Edwin Encarnacion, respectively, if both depart in free agency.
Free-agent first baseman Mitch Moreland is being pursued by both Cleveland and the Boston Red Sox, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
His former team, the Texas Rangers, are reportedly out of the running to re-sign him, however.
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