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

I know. The Chicago Cubs don’t have any money. Regardless, the team should take a serious look at free agent Brock Holt because he’s a perfect fit.

At this point, we’ve written about every potential free agent addition the Cubs could make this offseason. Early on, it featured some of the premier names. Quickly enough, though, we shifted to guys that, in a typical offseason, are footnotes when you’re looking at your favorite club’s big picture come February.

Instead, those very players – like light-hitting infielder Carlos Asuaje – seem to be the team’s entire plan this winter. Payroll restrictions have handcuffed Theo Epstein even more so than they did last winter and it shows. As things currently stand, Chicago will enter the 2020 campaign with the same group – minus some pretty significant subtractions, especially on the pitching staff.

Granted, things could change in the next five weeks before the Cubs head to Mesa, but I’m not holding my breath. At some point, maybe we’ll finally get a resolution on Kris Bryant‘s grievance case – which would give Epstein a much better idea of what to ask for in any potential trades.

So while I’m not expecting any earth-shattering moves (aside from a potential trade of Bryant), I’m still hoping Epstein can do something to shore up a roster that, for the second consecutive year, limped to the finish line, winning just 84 games – their lowest regular season total since 2014.

One of those said moves? Signing former Boston Red Sox 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.