Chicago Cubs: Five remaining free agents team could still sign

The Chicago Cubs have been quiet this offseason. Many of the big free agent names are off the board, but here are five still out there worth considering.

As each day goes by that the Chicago Cubs do nothing to improve the major league roster for the 2020 season, fans grow more and more frustrated. We have watched as the crosstown Chicago White Sox have made several big moves to improve their chances for 2020, while many teams around the league have been making big additions – even the lowly Detroit Tigers have added C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop.

Indeed, the free agent market has moved a lot quicker this offseason than it has over the last two winters. We’ve spent a lot of time speculating over who the Cubs might be interested in, but their financial situation – including waiting on a ruling on the Kris Bryant service time grievance – to this point has prevented them from making any significant moves.

The good news is that there are still some free agents out there that could help David Ross and the Cubs in 2020. Here, we will look at five of them.

I understand that many fans won’t get too excited about these names. Yet I tried to pick five that the Cubs could have a realistic chance to sign if they are indeed able to spend a little money between now and spring training. One noticeable name missing from the list is Nicholas Castellanos, and my first preference still is to bring him back. However, I didn’t include him both because he’s been talked about to death on these pages and because the chances that the Cubs are able to sign him are still small.

With that, here’s the list.

Chicago Cubs: Hector Rondon

It seems like ages ago that Hector Rondon pitched for the Chicago Cubs, but it’s only been two years, as the Cubs non-tendered him following the 2017 season. He had a great run as the Cubs’ closer, including a dominant 2015 season in which he earned 30 saves and posted a 1.67 ERA. His performance out of the bullpen in the middle of the decade earned him the #12 spot on our list of greatest Cubs of the 2010s.

Over the last two seasons, the right-hander has been pitching out of the Houston Astros bullpen, posting a solid 3.46 ERA in 119 2/3 innings pitched. He did earn 15 saves in 2018 but has served mainly in middle relief. Rondon was still effective in 2019 despite the fact that his strikeout ratio fell from 10.2 per nine innings in 2018 to just 7.1 in 2019, the lowest of his career.

There’s no question that the Cubs need to add to their bullpen before the season starts. My first preference would be to re-sign Brandon Kintzler and Steve Cishek from last year, along with an incentive-laden deal for bounceback candidate Pedro Strop. Yet there’s no way the Cubs will be able to sign all three, and given their lack of spending this offseason, it will be a surprise if they even retain one of them.

If they do want to pursue some lower-cost veteran middle relief options, Rondon is a name the Cubs should consider. He figures to come cheaper than would the likes of Kintzler and Cishek, along with Rondon’s Houston teammate Will Harris, and he has experience closing in case Craig Kimbrel falters again.

Chicago Cubs: Scooter Gennett

Are the Chicago Cubs going to go into the 2020 season hoping that either Ian Happ or Nico Hoerner can take over the second base duties? Will they be bringing back Ben Zobrist? Or will they try to go outside the organization to get some help? If it’s the latter, then one name worth considering is Scooter Gennett.

What a difference just one year has made for the 29-year-old Gennett. The Cincinnati Reds picked him up off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers prior to the 2017 season, and over the next two years, out of seemingly nowhere, he would bat .303 with 50 home runs and 189 RBIs, earning him an All-Star appearance in 2018.

However, 2019 was a season to forget. He missed most of the first half due to injury, and when he did come back, he was terrible, posting a .497 OPS in 21 games before being traded to the San Francisco Giants, where he didn’t do a whole lot better. A year ago, Gennett would have been in for a massive payday, but this offseason his name has come up in hardly any rumors.

Compare Gennett to Travis Shaw of the Brewers, who had a miserable 2019 but based on his track record was able to get a deal with the Toronto Blue Jays. Gennett, meanwhile, seemingly has fallen off the face of the earth, which means he could be a great buy-low candidate for the Cubs. Given the seeming lack of interest around the league, they may even be able to get him on a minor league deal to see whether he can return to his pre-2019 form.

Chicago Cubs: Matt Joyce

Will the Cubs go with an outfield of Kyle Schwarber in left field, Albert Almora, Jr. in center, and Jason Heyward in right for 2020? Perhaps they’d like to upgrade, particularly in center, but if so there aren’t many inspiring free agents still out there. We already know about Castellanos, and the Cubs haven’t come up at all for Marcell Ozuna, so if they are going to add via free agency, it likely will be for a bench/depth piece.

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Hence, I bring up Matt Joyce. I’ll admit there have been a couple of times when I forgot that Joyce was even still in the league. Still, the 35-year-old outfielder has had a decent 12-year career in which he’s hit 145 home runs and posted a respectable .775 OPS. He’s bounced around to several teams and has had an up-and-down career, yet he’s still been able to find work and has been a solid contributor both as a starter and as a bench player.

In 2019, Joyce had a great season in part-time duty with the Atlanta Braves. He set a career high with a .295 batting average in 200 at-bats while posting the second-highest OPS of his career at .858.

He’s not a particularly good defensive player, but he could be a nice bat off the bench for David Ross and could fill in both in right and left field if necessary.

Because he’s coming off such a good season, Joyce figures to attract plenty of interest between now and spring training. If indeed the Cubs just want a left-handed bench bat, they should check in on Joyce.

Chicago Cubs: Hunter Pence

There were a few other outfield names I considered for this list. I considered Domingo Santana, whom the Seattle Mariners decided to non-tender despite having the potential to be a potent bat at least off the bench. I also considered Cameron Maybin, who quietly had a nice season in part-time duty with the New York Yankees.

However, for my final free agent to highlight, I decided to go with Hunter Pence, who debuted for the Astros all the way back in 2007 and has been an All-Star four times and placed in MVP voting four times. He’s collected 1,786 career hits and 242 home runs over stops in Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Texas.

The 36-year-old Pence signed with the Rangers on a minor league deal prior to the 2019 season, and he ended up making the All-Star team, posting a tremendous .910 OPS in 83 games. Pence is not a good defensive player, particularly at this stage of his career, but he showed last year that he still has a lot of life left in his bat. Pence has always played the game with lots of energy, which some might find annoying but could add some life to this Cubs team.

Health is also a concern, as he missed the final month of the 2019 season due to injury. Still, given his age, limitations, and health concerns, there’s a good chance that Pence might be willing to take another minor league deal for 2020. If so, the Cubs should at least check in. Pence could be a nice bench/part-time player, especially if Jason Heyward is willing to continue getting some time in center (Pence primarily plays right field).