Chicago Cubs are a clear fit for free agent utilityman Brock Holt

Chicago Cubs: Without Zobrist, team needs someone like Holt

No one really knows if veteran and two-time World Series champion Ben Zobrist will return to Chicago – or Major League Baseball – in 2020. As we all know, he missed the majority of last season while stepping away from the game to deal with family matters.

When he returned, though, he was the same dependable Zobrist, getting on base at a .388 clip over his final 21 games of the season. As things currently stand, the Cubs don’t have a true heir to the fan favorite, either. Given Albert Almora‘s offensive woes, you’d have to think Ian Happ becomes the team’s full-time center fielder in 2020. Previously, Happ looked like he could be Zobrist’s successor as a utility presence, but now I’m not as sure.

Up the middle, Javier Baez has shortstop locked down for the foreseeable future. Second base is a bit of a question mark though, with the likes of David Bote, Nico Hoerner and Daniel Descalso looking like good bets to see time there this year.

So supplementing that mix with Holt, a guy who played first, second, third, shortstop and left and right field last season in Boston makes a ton of sense. At that point, it doesn’t really matter who needs a blow on a given day – Holt would be ready to step in and spell his teammate.