Seattle Mariners Free Agent Target Yoan Moncada Suffers Another Injury, X-Rays Negative
On Wednesday, we heard that the Seattle Mariners have interest in free agent infielder Yoan Moncada.
Moncada became a free agent earlier this offseason after the Chicago White Sox declined his $25 million team option. The interest for the Mariners makes sense and is generally par for how they do business.
First and foremost, the M's need help in the infield. They have holes at both second base and third base and Moncada could play either, though he's played third base for years. He's also a switch-hitter, which affords the M's some platoon and matchup opportunities, and he's still just 29 years old.
Finally, as the former No. 1 prospect in baseball, he clearly has a skillset that is solid, after a number of down years in a row, he'll come with an affordable price tag.
The question with Moncada is can he stay on the field, and he's already having trouble proving that this offseason.
Moncada left Thursday's game in the Premier12 Tournament after being hit by a pitch. He's been playing for Cuba.
The report came back generally solid, according to Cuban Baseball Insider Francys Romero, but Moncada's health always bears worth watching.
Yoan Moncada's right hand revealed negative to fracture in X-rays, but there is substantial swelling and he is doubtful for the rest of the Premier 12.
Yoan Moncada's right hand revealed negative to fracture in X-rays, but there is substantial swelling and he is doubtful for the rest of the Premier 12. #Premier12
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) November 14, 2024
Moncada has spent nine years in the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox and White Sox. He put together a great year in 2019 with 25 homers and 79 RBI, but it's been all downhill since then. He hit just .225 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season with six homers and 24 RBI. Then, he hit .263 with 14 homers in 2021 and .212 in 2022 with 12 homers.
Injuries have been a major issue for Moncada over the last few years. He played 104 games in 2022, 92 in 2023 and just 12 this past season, so that's another reason why this hand issue was initially concerning.
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