The first week of March was over. MLB owners and the MLBPA still haven't reached a new collective bargaining agreement. So, there’s no baseball now and we probably still have to wait for a while. At the same time, some outfielders that could draw a lot of attention can do nothing but wait.
The 2021 season should be a memorable one for Kyle Schwarber. He and the Nationals agreed to a one-year deal after he was non-tendered by the Cubs. In 2021, Schwarber played 72 games for the Nationals and he slashed .253/.340/.570 with 25 home runs and 53 RBI. Moreover, he was selected to the All-Star game for the first time in his career. On July 29, Schwarber was traded to the Red Sox and he hit .291/.435/.522 with 7 home runs and 18 RBI over 41 games with the Red Sox. He mainly played in left field last year.
Eddie Rosario had a great postseason last year. In particular, Rosario crushed 3 home runs and collected 9 RBI over 6 games in the NLCS and he was named the 2021 NLCS MVP. During the regular season, Rosario was hitting .254/.296/.389 with 7 home runs and 46 RBI over 78 games with the Indians. He was traded to the Braves on July 30 and he slashed .271/.330/.573 with 7 home runs and 16 RBI over 33 games.
In addition, Jorge Soler is another key player to help the Braves win the World Series title last year. Soler blasted 3 home runs and collected 6 RBI in the 2021 World Series. He became the second Cuban-Born player to win the World Series MVP Award. During the regular season, Soler was hitting .192/.288/.370 with 13 home runs and 37 RBI over 94 games with the Royals. He was traded to the Braves on July 30. Soler hit .269/.358/.524 with 14 home runs and 33 RBI in 55 games in the Braves uniform.
Furthermore, Michael Conforto is another All-Star outfielder available. Conforto made it into the big league in 2015 and he spent the last 7 seasons with the Mets. By far in his career, he hit .255/.356/.468 with 132 home runs and 396 RBI. He was selected to the All-Star game in 2017. However, he was hitting .232/.344/.384 with 14 home runs and 55 RBI. Those numbers are not very appealing. Will he return to the Mets in 2022?
Finally, we can’t ignore Nick Castellanos. He had a great 2021 season with a .309/.362/.576 slash line. And, he crushed 34 home runs and collected 100 RBI. It’s Castellanos’ first time to hit 30+ home runs in a single season. Additionally, he was selected to the All-Star game for the first time in his career.
Among these 5 players, Soler, Rosario and Castellanos are already 30. In the meantime, Conforto and Schwarber just turned 29 in March. There’s no huge age difference among them. Soler and Rosario were never selected to the mid-summer classic, but they did hit well in the 2021 postseason. Schwarber and Castellanos each crushed 30+ HRs last year. These players are definitely looking for a long-term deal. It will be interesting to see who will sign first and how long the deal will each of them sign.
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