Report: 4 clubs showing interest in Haniger
Outfielder Mitch Haniger is drawing attention from the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers on the free-agent market, a source told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels are also showing interest in Haniger, sources told MLB.com's Jon Morosi.
Rangers outfielders hit a combined .226/.287/.353 in 2022 while ranking last in the majors with an 83 wRC+.
Giants outfielders fared better than the Rangers last season, but Mike Yastrzemski and LaMonte Wade Jr. are both coming off down years.
2022 stats
| PLAYER | GP | HR | RBI | OPS | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Yastrzemski | 148 | 17 | 57 | .697 | 2.2 |
| LaMonte Wade Jr. | 77 | 8 | 26 | .665 | 0.2 |
The Dodgers have a hole in their outfield after the team non-tendered 2019 NL MVP Cody Bellinger.
The Angels have Mike Trout entrenched in center field but could use another power hitter to complement their lineup.
Haniger hit .246/.308/.429 with 11 home runs and 34 RBIs in 57 games for the Seattle Mariners last season, missing a big chunk of the season with an ankle injury.
The one-time All-Star and first-time free agent is an effective player when healthy, slashing .261/.335/.476 with 112 homers, 109 doubles, and 323 RBIs in 564 career games.
Haniger's best campaign came in 2018 when he posted a .859 OPS (139 OPS+), finishing eleventh in American League MVP voting.
He's not tied to draft-pick compensation because the Mariners didn't make him a qualifying offer.