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Former HR champ Trumbo would consider becoming 2-way player

Will Newton / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Free-agent slugger Mark Trumbo would consider pitching in order to extend his MLB career, according to Dan Connolly of The Athletic.

Trumbo, who led the majors with 47 home runs in 2016, spent a lot of time working on his arm strength while rehabbing his knee last season. He says his fastball reaches between the high-80s and low-90s.

"I think that's still a work in progress, but it's something I've been kind of keeping on top of," the two-time All-Star said.

The 33-year-old thinks becoming a two-way player would give him greater value with rosters expanding from 25 to 26 in 2020.

"My arm is still in pretty good shape, and some of my thought was, with the 26th man, I think a lot of teams are gonna explore the possibilities for two-way players if they are actually capable of doing it," Trumbo said. "So, I think that was part of where my head was at. Add some value, eat some innings when the games might get away from the team.

"If you can have a guy that can do a little bit of both (hitting and pitching), I think that is immensely valuable. But it needs to be at a high enough level to get the job done."

Trumbo was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels as a pitcher in 2004 but became a position player after dealing with elbow issues.

The 10-year veteran has hit 218 career homers in 1,097 contests between the Angels, Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners, and Baltimore Orioles. He only played in 12 games in 2019 due to injuries.

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