NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Rockies appeared close to signing veteran first baseman Mark Reynolds to a one-year contract Wednesday night, but a major-league source said the Rockies were “only in discussions” with Reynolds and that no agreement had been reached yet.
A deal could be finalized by Thursday morning when the winter meetings wrap up.
Reynolds, 32, spent last season with the St. Louis Cardinals, batting .230 with 13 homers in 432 plate appearances. He has clubbed 237 homers in his career, launching a career-high 44 in 2009 with Arizona.
Although he hit 37 homers with Baltimore in 2011, Reynolds power numbers have been declining. Also, Reynolds strikes out a lot, owning a career strikeout rate of 28 percent.
Reynolds does bat right-handed, something the Rockies could use to complement their array of left-handed hitters.
The Rockies lost veteran Justin Morneau to free agency and they would like to pair a veteran with Ben Paulsen, who batted .277 with 11 homers and 49 RBIs in 354 plate appearances in 2015. Paulsen can also play corner outfield.
Manager Walt Weiss and general manager Jeff Bridich have both said they are pleased with how Paulsen improved last season.
“Benny got his foot in the door, and he’s been a productive player for us,” Weiss said on Monday. “Now, will we look for another piece to complement that? Yeah, we’re always looking. But Benny has created an opportunity for himself and has been rewarded.
“I think he had over 300 at bats last year and drove in, I think, around 50 runs in limited opportunities. He’s been a clutch hitter for us. We feel good about where he’s at.”
But, Weiss said, the Rockies are looking for a right-handed bat, especially after they designated backup first baseman Wilin Rosario for assignment and then saw Rosario opt for free agency.
“We are pretty left-handed offensively,” Weiss said. “So you look around at some right-handed bats that might fit over there too.”
Patrick Saunders: psaunders@denverpost.com or @psaundersdp
