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Cubs: Best and worst free agent signings all-time, by position
Cubs: One of the biggest signings in franchise history included a guy who primarily played second base.
Best: Ben Zobrist
He might have been a utility guy, but we will count him in this. Zobrist was one of the final pieces needed to win a World Series championship in 2016. After winning a World Series with the Kansas City Royals in 2015, the veteran utility man signed a four-year, $56 million deal prior to the 2016 season. His ability to switch hit, put the bat on the ball and get on base was an ideal fit for a young lineup.
Zobrist had established himself in Tampa Bay and had played with then-Cubs manager Joe Maddon there. In his first season as a Cub he made the All-Star team, and went on to win the World Series MVP award after driving in the go-ahead run in Game 7 and hitting .357/.419/.500 in the Fall Classic. Overall he hit .269/.362/.411 with a 104 OPS+ in 461 games as a Cub. Worth every penny.
Worst: Neifi Perez
This is a name that fans love bringing up in, “Hey! Remember that guy?” conversations. Perez came to the Cubs organization as a free agent in August 2004 after a rough year in San Francisco. The veteran infielder had a nice run with Colorado, hitting .282/.313/.411 from 1996-2001. He also won a Gold Glove in 2000. His tenure with the Cubs was very blah. While a .276 average is certainly not terrible, he put up a .297 OBP, .681 OPS and 74 OPS+. That is…not good.
Perez was a regular on the field and ended up playing in 154 games in 2005. They did not break the bank on him, and he was certainly not the worst free agent signing ever, but many would agree he got way too much playing time for the production he was putting up. At least he is a fun footnote in Cubs trivia.