Corey Hart Declines Assignment, Elects Free Agency

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This should come as no surprise to anyone, after being designated for assignment last week by the Seattle Mariners, Corey Hart has refused to accept his outright assignment and has elected free agency. This according to a tweet by Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune.

Hart was only signed through the end of the World Series, when his 1-year contract with Seattle ended.

Hart was nothing short of a total disappointment for the Mariners and their fans. In 68 games, Hart posted a slash line of .203/.271/.319 with 6 HR and 21 RBI and a WAR of -0.5.

The Mariners signed him this past offseason, hoping he could provide a right-handed power bat in the middle of the lineup, between Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager. Coming off surgery on both knees, the M’s hoped that he could return to his former form in which he hit 87 homers over a three-year span.

But injuries got in his way yet again and Hart became nothing more than a punchline to many Mariners fans.

He will likely get some looks from teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates and his former team, the Milwaukee Brewers, who are both looking for a player that can split time between first base and the outfield, and help develop young up-and-coming players.