JUPITER, FL: Manager Skip Schumaker informed media, including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald, that veteran first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini has chosen to opt out of his minor league contract with the Marlins.
Since the Cubs dismissed Mancini in August, any team that signs him on a big league roster is only required to pay him the minimum wage (with Chicago still responsible for the remaining $7MM payment for 2024).
Mancini signed a two-year, $14 million free agent contract with the Cubs last offseason, because of this, Mancini was even more of a risk than the average minor league deal.
Yet, the Marlins were not impressed enough with Mancini's performance during Spring Training to offer him a position on the team. Mancini had a springtime batting line of .257/.333/.371 in 39 plate appearances.
Mancini's fight with colon cancer kept him out of the 2020 season, but he returned triumphantly in 2021, hitting .255/.326/.432 over 616 PA with the Orioles to win Comeback Player of the Year.
Mancini's lengthy stay in Baltimore came to an end when the O's sent him to the Astros during the 2022 trade deadline. Although Mancini won a World Series with Houston, he didn't make much of an impact at the plate either in the regular season or the postseason.
In 2023, Mancini's problems with the Cubs persisted as he only managed to hit .234/.299/.336 over 263 PA.
Mancini, now 32, is at a rough point in his seven-year career. With performance, he will look to latch on to another club as we near the start of the 2024 campaign. Mancini has a lot to prove to make a club but could prove to be a consistent bench bat in the near future.