Chicago Cubs: Five remaining free agents team could still sign

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.