Report: Chicago Cubs in talks with Rhys Hoskins

It appears former Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins will spend next season with the Chicago Cubs.

According to a report from Bob Nightengale of USA Today, Chicago is “in talks with agent Scott Boras” about signing Hoskins.

The Seattle Mariners reportedly showed interest, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network in a tweet from Saturday.

It will be interesting to see what kind of contract Hoskins signs. He could sign a one-year deal and go back on the market after next year. It’s possible Hoskins’ next deal includes an opt out after year one.

Cubs first baseman combined for a .713 OPS in 2023. Trey Mancini and Cody Bellinger took down the bulk of the plate appearances at first base last season for Chicago. The Toronto Blue Jays, according to Nightengale, are now seen as the favorites to sign Bellinger with the Cubs still in it.

Chicago needed to see Ohtani sign elsewhere before turning their attention to Hoskins. Chicago was one of the five finalists to sign the two-way superstar and would have had to allocate 100% of available DH plate appearances to Ohtani. Hoskins, who is coming off ACL surgery, would likely need to spend at least some time as a DH in 2024.

If the deal reaches the finish line, it would mark the end of Hoskins’ seven-year tenure with the Phillies. He debuted in the summer of 2017 and hit 11 home runs in his first 18 games. Despite the ups-and-downs, Hoskins hit at least 25 home runs in all four full seasons he played with the Phillies.

His most memorable hot streak came in the 2022 NLDS and NLCS, where Hoskins homered five times in nine games. It all began with the “bat spike” home run off the Braves’ Spencer Strider in Game 3 of the NLDS and ended with a two-run home run against Yu Darvish to put the Phillies ahead in Game 5 of the NLCS against the Padres. Hoskins also homered twice in a thrilling 10-6 Game 4 victory.

Hoskins’ last meaningful at-bat with the Phillies came in the top of the ninth inning of Game 6 of the World Series. He tore his ACL during a spring training game in March 2023 and while there was hope that Hoskins could return as a pinch hitter in either the NLCS or World Series, he never made it back onto the Phillies’ roster.

The Phillies were not expected to re-sign Hoskins as the club made the decision to name Bryce Harper the team’s full-time first baseman. Harper learned the position in the wake of Hoskins’ injury.

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