Chicago Cubs seem likely to stay in-house at second base

The Winter Meetings are underway and the Chicago Cubs will be looking to fill two roster holes.  We look here at who the Cubs have to play second base.

The challenge ahead of the Cubs and their front office is not insignificant. Last season, Chicago employed seven different players at second base. No other team in baseball did this. There is little doubt it contributed to the decline in their defensive metrics at the position.

That’s not to say there aren’t quality options on the big league roster, either. It’s more that none of them took advantage of their opportunities to lock down the role in 2019 and you don’t know if they’ll be capable of locking it down moving forward, either.

While you’d like to see Theo Epstein go out and sign an impact talent to shore up the position in 2020, that doesn’t seem particularly likely, either. That is, unless the team comes off a key player like Willson Contreras or Kris Bryant via trade – thus creating some much-needed financial flexibility.

One thing, though, is clear. Establishing a regular presence alongside Javier Baez up the middle is a key to the Cubs righting the ship defensively and, hopefully, competing in the National League Central once again next year.