Cubs: Best and worst free agent signings all-time, by position

Cubs: Most of the great Cubs catchers came to the franchise by other means, but there were some notable free agent ones.

Best: Joe Girardi

Girardi might have been drafted and brought to the Majors by the Cubs, but after lengthy stints in Colorado and New York the Cubs brought him back via free agency in 2000. It was his second stint with the Cubs he played at his best.

In 2000 he made his one and only All-Star appearance, hitting .278/.339/.375 in 106 games. He was then part of the 2001 Cubs team that posted a winning record and spent time in the playoff hunt. Girardi was a respected teammate and well liked by the fans, and he felt right at home again considering he also was from Evanston, Illinois.

Worst: Todd Hundley

Decades ago, Randy Hundley was a very popular player for the Cubs. He was part of the 1969 team that was on the verge of making the playoffs until the “Miracle Mets” dashed their hopes. As for his son Todd, he was not so popular. Todd Hundley was a longtime New York Met, and was very successful there. He was a two-time All Star and slugged 124 home runs, including a 41-home run season in 1996, in 829 games with the Mets.

Hundley signed a four-year, $24 million deal in 2001. His tenure as a Cub saw him hit just .199/.285/.398 in 171 games before being dealt to the Dodgers after the 2002 season. What made things worse is that he had some personal beef with the team and fans, which did not do him any favors. Flipping obscene gestures to heckling fans do not get forgotten easily.