The downward spiral of first baseman Eric Hosmer, 34, who played with Ha-Sung Kim in the San Diego Padres until last July, continues. Since being traded last summer, he has been released twice in less than a year.
The Cubs designated Hosmer for assignment on Saturday. They had designated him for assignment (DFA) on the 20th, but when no team claimed him during the waiver period, they parted ways with him via outright release.
Hosmer, who signed with the Cubs in January, struggled in 31 games, batting just 2-for-22 (94 at-bats) with two home runs, 14 RBIs, six doubles, 25 walks, a .280 on-base percentage, a .330 slugging percentage and a .610 OPS. In seven games in May, he was 1-for-18 (4-for-22) with one home run and a .399 OPS.토토사이트
Even before coming to the Cubs, Hosmer was released by the Boston Red Sox. He came to Boston from San Diego via trade last August, but struggled with a back injury, going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs for a .631 OPS in 14 games (11-for-50).
A former highly touted prospect who was selected by the Kansas City Royals with the third overall pick in the 2008 draft, Hosmer, a left-handed hitting first baseman, made his big league debut in 2011. He was a member of Kansas City’s 2015 World Series championship team and has won four Gold Gloves and one Silver Slugger. He is also a one-time All-Star.
Increasing his value with back-to-back 25-homer seasons in 2016 and 2017, Hosmer signed a massive eight-year, $144 million free agent contract with San Diego in February 2018. However, he never lived up to his billing and became a liability for San Diego as his performance plummeted from 2011 onwards.
In August last year, San Diego traded Hosmer to Boston, agreeing to pay most of the $36.78 million remaining on his $39 million salary through 2025. But the Red Sox released Hosmer, who cost them almost nothing, and the Cubs, who signed him to a major league minimum salary of $720,000, also gave up.
He hasn’t produced enough to warrant the minimum salary. It’s his third straight year of struggles, and he’s in his mid-30s, so it’s hard to see him rebounding. Hosmer is due $13 million in San Diego next year and the year after, so any team that wants him will only have to pay the minimum salary, but even that won’t be easy.
Through 13 seasons in the majors, Hosmer’s career numbers through this year are 2,757 hits, 198 home runs, 893 RBIs, and a .762 OPS.