Chicago Cubs: Peter Bourjos making the best of it

Chicago Cubs’ outfielder Peter Bourjos isn’t likely to make the roster out of camp. But he is making the best of the situation as he’s close to home.

When the Chicago Cubs‘ signed Peter Bourjos, it was a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream. But after making seven straight Opening Day rosters, this one could be tough. The Cubs appear to be set in the outfield, but there’s always a chance they could use him down the road. That is if he sticks around beyond spring training.

Bourjos is off to a decent start for the Cubs, hitting .286 (4-for-14) for them with two RBI. But Bourjos doesn’t make his money hitting the ball. He makes it on defense and his speed. It’s something that the Cubs don’t have much need for right now. But it could come to the forefront late in the season and into October.

Wishful thinking

“It’s just an opportunity, playing at home and hopefully have a good camp and see where it goes,” he said. “I don’t really have expectations. Just play well, that’s the only expectation.

With guys like Ben Zobrist, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward, Albert Almora Jr. and the red-hot Ian Happ–there isn’t much room for him. Even with Almora struggling and Zobrist having some recurring back issues, neither of those seem enough to keep them off the roster at any given time.

Bourjos would earn $1.45 million if he made the team. The Cubs could keep him around for depth. But if he plays well enough and has a shot at a roster elsewhere, the Cubs would likely cut him loose.

There’s still time in camp for Bourjos to make some noise and establish his value for the Cubs. But unless someone goes down with an injury or is tanking it in spring training, his future will be determined by the Cubs front office.

Next: Evaluating Darvish's first start

It wasn’t a bad gamble overall to bring him in. The Cubs weren’t sure if Zobrist would be healthy. Or if the weight loss by Schwarber would affect him. But Zobrist returned to the field on Tuesday and should be ready to go by Opening Day barring any setbacks. And Joe Maddon has been impressed by Schwarber, so there goes any chance of that.