Cubs' Trey Mancini: Working on opposite-field hitting
Rotowire
Mancini is aiming to hit "with authority" up the middle and to the opposite field this season, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
More than half of Mancini's career-high 35 home runs back in 2019 went to center or right field, and he's looking to get back to that approach in 2023. The 31-year-old hit 18 long balls last season with Baltimore and Houston in what was a bit of a down year, as he finished with a career-worst .710 OPS. Mancini should see plenty of playing time with the Cubs and could see his numbers climb back upward.
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Cubs' Trey Mancini: Hits first spring home run
Rotowire
Mancini went 2-for-3 with a solo home run and two runs scored in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Rockies.
Notably, Mancini started this game in right field, where he could play some in the early going with Seiya Suzuki (oblique) unlikely to be ready for the start of the regular season. Mancini has a strong .538 batting average so far this spring, and he could have decent fantasy appeal as an everyday player for the Cubs this year, with his playing time coming in right, as well as at first base and DH.
Mancini is an option to play some in right field with Seiya Suzuki (oblique) questionable for the start of the regular season, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
The veteran slugger is primarily a first baseman and will likely get some starts at DH, but the Cubs could try him in right field, especially with Seiya Suzuki (oblique) set to miss the start of the season. Mancini logged 86 innings in right last season and was a plus defender there. No matter where he plays, he should get plenty of at-bats in 2023 for a Chicago team looking to boost its offense.
Mancini went 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored in Saturday's Cactus League game against the Giants.
Mancini looked good in his first game with the Cubs. The veteran was brought over in the offseason to likely fill the DH role most days, though he could also see some time at first base. Mancini had a down year with a career-worst .710 OPS in 2022, but he still hit 18 home runs to go along with 63 RBI.
Mancini will not play for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Mancini believes that it will be better for him to spend that time with his new organization rather than participate in the WBC. The 30-year-old was signed to a two-year, $14 million contract with the Cubs after declining a $10 million option with the Astros after the season. He's expected to see plenty of playing time at first base and designated hitter while he's with Chicago.
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Cubs' Trey Mancini: Two-year deal with Cubs
Rotowire
Mancini agreed Saturday with the Cubs on a two-year, $14 million deal that includes an opt-out clause after the first season, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Per Rogers, Mancini is likely to see time at first base and designated hitter for the Cubs. A longtime Oriole, Mancini was dealt to the Astros ahead of the trade deadline last season and struggled to the tune of a .176/.258/.364 line following the trade, resulting in Houston declining his $10 million option for 2023. Mancini, who turns 31 in March, is a career .265/.330/.457 hitter in the major leagues.
The Astros declined their $10 million mutual option on Mancini's contract for 2023 on Wednesday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Considering that Mancini wasn't an everyday player during the Astros' run to the World Series and hit just .176 to close out the regular season after coming over in a trade with the Orioles on Aug. 1, Houston's decision to move on from him isn't a major surprise. The 30-year-old's solid track record prior to arriving in Houston should give him a good chance at resurfacing elsewhere in 2023 as a regular starter at either first or designated hitter.
