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Free agent first baseman Corey Hart could agree to a deal as soon as tonight, according to MLB.com's Adam McCalvy. The team Hart intends to sign with remains unclear, but he has spent the entirety of his 9-year big league career with the Milwaukee Brewers, and the Brewers are supposedly making the slugger one of their top priorities.
Don't be surprised if free agent 1B Corey Hart makes his decision tonight. #Brewers still in play.
— Adam McCalvy (@AdamMcCalvy) December 11, 2013
The 31-year-old Hart missed all of 2013 recovering from knee surgery. A two-time All-Star, Hart hit .270/.334/.507 with 30 home runs and a 120 OPS+ for Milwaukee in 2012, and owns a career .276/.334/.491 batting line.
Hart has said he is willing to take a pay-cut to stay with the Brewers, but is likely to sign a low base-salary, heavy incentives deal with whoever signs him anyways.
Along with the Brewers, Hart has been linked to the Red Sox, Rockies, Mets, Giants, Rays, and Pirates among others. It is unlikely that Colorado and Boston are still in the mix for Hart as both recently locked up first baseman of their own. The Rays and Pirates particularly appear as excellent fits, since both currently have an opening at the position, and could surely use his power-bat in their lineups.
