Eric Hosmer hit .318 with 25 homers and won his fourth Gold Glove. His agent, Scott Boras, has been casting Hosmer as a human ticket into the postseason because of Hosmer’s leadership and history of success with the Royals.
But as with Cozart, there appear to be very few potential bidders because so many big-market teams look set at first base:
Yankees: Greg Bird
Phillies: Rhys Hoskins
Nationals: Ryan Zimmerman
Dodgers: Cody Bellinger
Diamondbacks: Paul Goldschmidt
Orioles: Chris Davis
Cubs: Anthony Rizzo
Astros: Yuli Gurriel
Braves: Freddie Freeman
Jays: Justin Smoak
The Giants might prefer an upgrade on Brandon Belt, but he’s early in a long-term contract, and San Francisco is focused on Giancarlo Stanton for the moment. The Mets are looking for a short-term investment at first.
The Red Sox need a first baseman and are talking with the White Sox about Jose Abreu, plus they might simply be scared off by Hosmer’s high price tag. “If the Red Sox aren’t in on Hosmer,” a longtime agent said, “he could be in a tough spot. He needs the Red Sox almost as much as the Red Sox could use him.” Hosmer has been linked to the Padres as well, and San Diego has payroll flexibility, but the Padres also have a first baseman, Wil Myers, under a long-term contract.
What's more, the list of free-agent first basemen who will be less expensive than Hosmer is long: Carlos Santana, Yonder Alonso, Lucas Duda, Adam Lind, Mitch Moreland, Logan Morrison, Mark Reynolds and Mike Napoli.
http://www.espn.com/blog/buster-olne...ith-contenders
Forgot Texas. Also, NYY doesn't want Greg Bird at 1B anyway