Chicago Cubs: Five designated hitter candidates team could pursue

Chicago Cubs: Robbie Grossman

I’ve tried to cover a few different positions in selecting these free agent targets, and as we reach our last player, I haven’t touched on the outfield situation yet. As of right now, it’s Kyle Schwarber in left field, Ian Happ in center field and Jason Heyward in right field. This offseason, we’ve already seen the annual Schwarber trade rumors come up, but even if they don’t trade anyone, the Cubs will still want to add some depth to their outfield, perhaps by bringing in someone who could also DH in 2021.

Looking at the outfield free agents, former Houston Astros Michael Brantley and George Springer are the big prizes, though it’s hard to envision the Cubs showing interest in either of them. Joc Pederson is an interesting name, though he’s coming off a rough 2020 season. There is also Brett Gardner, who could play left and allow Schwarber to DH more.

However, I’m going to go with Robbie Grossman, formerly of the Oakland Athletics, who played all three outfield positions for the A’s in 2020. He’s been a decent player for the past few seasons, but Grossman, who will be 31 this upcoming season, is coming off what was maybe his best year. In 2020, he hit eight home runs and drove in 23 while posting a career-high OPS+ of 130. He’s also a switch hitter.

If Grossman hits like he did in 2020, he would be a nice fourth outfielder/DH type for the Cubs. He wouldn’t solve all their offensive problems – none of these players would, as that’s up to the guys who underperformed for the Cubs in 2020 – but he could be a nice addition for the right price.