Chicago Cubs: Five free agents the team needs, but can’t afford

Chicago Cubs: He’s a little bit better than he was 10 years ago

The Cubs have, in recent years, gone the way of signing cheaper veteran second baseman in the decline of their career. They’ve signed guys who no longer hit, field, or run nearly as well as they used to, but then again, they haven’t paid a whole lot either. In the meantime, they’ve also jettisoned a guy who was one of the best hitters in the American League before he got hurt in 2019.

So, while the club has said goodbye to Daniel Descalso, Jason Kipnis and Tommy La Stella, perhaps they could go a different route and bring back someone who they had before he was really good. And yes, 3 AM (La Stella) may be available and has been rumored as a good fit to bring back, but I’m actually talking about another player who was with the Cubs a long time ago – namely, one DJ LeMahieu.

Many fans have lamented the loss of LeMahieu in recent years as he has gone from a glove-only second baseman to a terrific hitting guy as well at Coors Field, all the way to a bonafide superstar player with the Yankees in New York the past two seasons. The reality is though, he wasn’t what he is now as a Cub way back in 2011. It wasn’t until 2015 when he actually became a great all-around player for the Rockies, and by that time, the Cubs were doing pretty well on the infield without him.

Now that LeMahieu is back on the market as a free agent, he would be a tremendous signing to play second, maybe a little first to spell Rizzo when he needs it, and DH a bit. However, he’s gonna cost way too much for a happy reunion, as much as a possible three years and $50 something-million according to FanGraphs. As much as this would be a nice story about him coming home and holding down the keystone until Nico Hoerner is completely ready, it just doesn’t look feasible right now.