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Eric Hosmer weighing multiple seven-year offers

By Joshua Sadlock

TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 21: Eric Hosmer #35 of the Kansas City Royals during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 21, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - SEPTEMBER 21: Eric Hosmer #35 of the Kansas City Royals during MLB game action against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on September 21, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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Free agent first baseman Eric Hosmer reportedly has multiple seven-year offers on the table.

It has been a slow MLB offseason to date, but things could finally be starting to move. All-Star first baseman Eric Hosmer has received at least two seven-year offers according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The 28-year-old has an offer worth $140 million from the San Diego Padres and one for $147 million — $1 million more per season from the Kansas City Royals.

Both of Hosmer’s offers come from small-market teams who do not expect to contend in 2018. The Padres are in the midst of a long-term rebuild and have spent aggressively on international prospects in recent years. If they are able to land Hosmer, it would become the largest contract in San Diego history by a wide margin.

Hosmer spent the first seven years of his career with the Royals and won the World Series with them in 2015. He is beloved in the organization and the city, where his leadership and intangibles are valued very highly. Hosmer is coming off the best year of his career, having hit .318/.385/.498 with 31 doubles, 25 home runs and 94 RBI. He also won his fourth career Gold Glove and first Silver Slugger in 2017.

Even though he is coming off a career year, there are still plenty of questions about Hosmer’s value as a free agent, especially at a premium power position like first base. He has never hit more than 30 home runs in a season and does not walk much. His defense draws solid reviews strictly on the eye test, but is not valued so highly by advanced metrics. Hosmer is a very good overall player, but is better off as a sidekick to a true superstar. For a small market team like the Royals or Padres, signing him to a seven-year deal could potentially make life difficult down the road when trying to build a complete roster.

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That Hosmer has not pounced on either of these seven-year offers shows superagent Scott Boras could still be angling for an eight-year deal. Jason Heyward was able to secure an eight-year deal for $184 million based on the same intangibles, power projections, age and well-rounded game. If that’s what Boras is seeking, it might not come. It’s hard to see Hosmer doing much better than either of these offers, but a team more suited to contend immediately like the St. Louis Cardinals could get involved and offer him a better shot at another title.

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