The Cubs roster still has lots of holes

Whether the Cubs aimed high enough when signing one of the “big four” shortstops this offseason, (they didn’t), the fact remains that they still have a lot of work to do to be remotely decent next year, much less to form the basis of Jed Hoyer’s mythical “next great Cubs team.”

We sit here wishing we had a Cubs team that would be fun to bet on, and you know maybe betting against them is the hedge we need to get through another long season. It’s also December and there are football games every day to distract ourselves with.

We can deal with the pitching staff at another time, but for now, let’s look at the most offensive part of the club.

As currently constituted the Cubs do have an outfield. Gold Glove¹ winner Ian Happ in left, reclamation project..and Gold Glove winner Cody Bellinger in center, and their best player (such that it is) Seiya Suzuki in right.

On the infield they have a Gold Glove shortstop, Dansby Swanson, and a second baseman, Nico Hoerner, but nothing else.

Moving Nico to second is a great thing. He was a good shortstop last year, but in 2020 and 2021 he was a great defensive second baseman. On a team with three Gold Glove winners, Nico at second is most likely their best defender.

And, they have half a catcher. Yan Gomes and his 35 year old knees should be good for about 80 games, so who catches the other 82? PJ Higgins is still around, as much as that bald dope AAA announcer wants to add PJ’s AAA and big league numbers and act like they’re a thing, they aren’t. PJ ended up at a paltry .223/.310/.383 for the season in the big leagues, and after July 1, when he was hitting .310/.394/.555 in his first 58 at bats, he finished .196/.275/.315 with 47 strikeouts in 143 at bats.

On the bench, the Cubs have a couple of useful pieces. Christopher Morel wasn’t supposed to make his debut until late in the 2022 season, but injuries to Clint/Jackson Frazier and Jason Heyward left the Cubs in need of somebody to stand in the outfield and the guy they’d planned to call up first, Brennen Davis was having back surgery. So they called up Morel, and he never went back down. He ended up playing in 113 games and he finished with 16 homers, 47 RBI and played center, left, second, third and shortstop. He blew pretty hot and cold and finished up .235/.308/.433 with a 107 OPS+. The 137 strikeouts in 379 at bats is very bad, but in a utility role where the Cubs can pick his spots, you’d like to think he would improve on that. He’s got a lot of tools. His average throwing velocity ranked FIFTH in all of baseball at 96.1 MPH and he’s fast, though you’d not know it from his 10-for-17 “success” stealing bases.

Patrick Wisdom is another guy you’d rather have on your bench than in an every day spot. He has prodigious power with 53 homers in just over 800 at bats the last two seasons. His new teammate Dansby hit 52 homers the last two years, in nearly 550 more at bats. So the power is real for P-Whiz. But so are the strikeouts. In those 807 at bats the last two years he has struck out a prodigious 336 times. Holy crap.

Wisdom plays above average defense at third base, can adequately handle either corner outfield spot and plays a more than passable first base. So he’s worth having around to fill in at those spots and get some run at DH. But the Cubs gave him a full season of ABs last year and he hit .207/.298/.426.

Other infielders on the current 40 man roster include dainty little Nick Madrigal, who is now relegated to finding out that the s’s in Des Moines are silent, but the city is buzzing, utility types Zach McKinstry, Miles Mastrobuoni and…somehow Alfonso Rivas, still.

Madrigal has played only 142 games in his three year big league career, and his average and on base have dropped each season. I’m sure the Cubs want to trade him, but my fear is he’s already played for the only two teams who have ever wanted him (White Sox and Cubs.)

McKinstry is at least adult sized, but he’s never hit in the big leagues. Last year he started the year 1-for-25 with 10 strikeouts combined between the Dodgers and Cubs. He bookended that by going nine for his last 63 to finish the season.

Mastrobuoni was a trade acquisition from Tampa early in the offseason and he’s drawn comparisons to…McKinstry. Well sure, why not get two of those?

The highlights of Rivas’ 2022 season were when Brett Taylor compared him, unironically, to Mark Grace and when he was mentioned on FX’s The Bear. 

We did learn that Rivas was a roadside plop baby. He was literally born on the shoulder of a highway near Chula Vista, California, which is something. But the Grace comparisons were always nuts. Rivas struck out 87 times in just 251 at bats. Grace averaged 504 at bats a season and never struck out more than 56 times. In fact, he struck out 46 times or fewer in 13 of his 16 seasons. But sure, Rivas is lefthanded and a good fielder so somehow he’s the next Mark Grace.

Grace was a career .303 hitter with a .383 on base. Rivas hit .235 with a .322 on base last year. Uncanny, really.

The other outfielders currently on the 40 man include one guy who is out for the season with two different injuries (Alexander Canario), their most likely impact prospect who played only 53 games last year after back surgery (Davis) and five of those were in the Arizona Fall League and then he needed to be shut down again. Kevin Alcantara hasn’t played above class-A. And Nelson Velazquez spent from June 20 through the end of the season in the big leagues, but only got 185 at bats and his manager was reportedly not all that enamored with Nelson’s work ethic.

The only other position player on the 40 man is catching prospect Miguel Amaya, who due to injuries has played in only 43 minor league games the last two seasons. Only 12 as a catcher. Yikes.

You can barely even make out a lineup with what they currently have, and certainly, not a good one.

2b Hoerner
ss Swanson
rf Seiya
lf Happ
dh Wisdom
cf Bellinger
3b Morel
1b Rivas
c Gomes

I’m not sure if you’ve heard but the Cubs had the fifth best record in the National League after the All-Star Break last season. Well, whoop de damned doo. They will have the worst with this bunch.

The one-year deal for Bellinger was curious because if he has a good year he’s sure to walk, and the Cubs aren’t a contending team so what good does trying to “fix” him do them? But, if they’re in that mode, why not sign another Scott Boras player in search of a “pillow” contract and add Michael Conforto? Given the injury histories of Belligner and Seiya there will be plenty of outfield at bats to be had, and even if everybody stays healthy you could play Bellinger at first once and a while, and rotate all of the guys through the DH spot.

Justin Turner would have been a decent short-term solution at third, but he signed with the Red Sox. Evan Longoria will get a look, but don’t bother. He’s only been useful one season (2021) in the last six, and even that year he could only stay healthy for 81 games. Plus, he’s likely to retire unless the Giants change their minds and want him back (they won’t), or if one of the teams near where he owns houses are interested. That would be the Rays (who he starred for from 2008-2017) or the D’bags.

The Cubs have been linked to former Reds and Tigers catcher Fucker Barnyard…I mean, Tucker Barnhart. But he’s been brutally bad the last two years. Truth is, there’s not much available for free agent catchers unless you like Gary Sanchez (who can’t catch) or Roberto Perez, or Curt Casali. (You don’t.)

At first base there’s Trey Mancini or Brandon Belt or soon to be free agent Eric Hosmer. Belt would be a decent stopgap if you thought he could stay healthy, but his knee and back say otherwise Mancini’s not much of a first baseman, but he’s probably the least objectionable one left. Plus, there’s always the great Matt Mervis knocking down the door.

The Cubs DFA’d Franmil Reyes, and surprisingly, nobody has picked him up. I wonder if it’s because he hit .221/.273/.365 between Cleveland and the Cubs last year. Hmm. I wonder.

I’d be shocked if the Cubs don’t sign Franmil to a minor league deal with a very real shot at making the club as the DH. Because he’s Dominican and large and a DH he drew very lazy comparisons to Big Papi, David Ortiz. When Papi turned 27 he signed with the Red Sox and turned into a star. Franmil will turn 27 next year.

Maybe he should call the Red Sox?

The free agent frenzy at the winter meetings that lingered on to last week has slowed the trade market, which should start now. The Cubs would be better served trying to fill catcher (the Blue Jays have three starter caliber catchers) and outfield (the D’bags have four center fielders) via trade than free agency.

But then again, that would require them parting with some of their precious prospects.

Heaven forbid.

 

 

 

1. “Left field, Gold Glove winner is a thing, I guess.”