Chicago Cubs: 3 realistic DH targets that project well for 2022

The universal DH is arriving to the National League and 2022. Obviously, this changes the way the game has been structured for as long as any of us can remember, with a brief example of what it would look like in 2020 during the pandemic-shortened season. Personally, I am not opposed to it. NL teams are now able to add another key hitter to their lineup – which should mean more offense.

Even prior to the DH announcement, the Chicago Cubs had more shopping to do. Obviously, you could just slide a player already on the roster into the role and be done with it (as we looked at here). If you want to add some thump, though, there are quite a few hitters currently available whose defense isn’t but the best but their bat sure brings a lot of value and offensive production.

For the Cubs, this is definitely something that could benefit the team. Finishing 20th in the league in runs per game wasn’t the only catalyst of a losing season in 2021, but it sure doesn’t help matters when your pitchers and hitters are struggling.

Cubs: 3 realistic DH targets that make a difference – #3: Eddie Rosario

Fresh off a World Series victory and NLCS MVP honors, Eddie Rosario hit free agency. He is primarily an outfielder, so this would allow Chicago to rotate him in and out of the DH spot, while also giving him reps in the outfield.

Rosario offers a career slash of .275/.309/.473 while landing in the top 20 in MVP voting twice. He really struggled in Cleveland last season before being traded to Atlanta, where he bounced back to be right in line with what he’s done in his career at the dish.

Although 32 career at-bats is not a large enough sample size to draw any substantive conclusions, his career slash at Wrigley Field is .313/.371/.531 – so it sure seems like he enjoys hitting at the Friendly Confines. Right now, his projected contract predictions range anywhere from $10-15M annually. As it sits with the Cubs payroll, the funds are plentiful if they want to add Rosario to the mix.

Like I said, adding a run-producer to the mix is a must for Chicago – the only real question is how much Jed Hoyer and the crew decides to spend. Rosario has averaged 100 RBI per 162 games in his career – so check that box. His October performance last year shows he doesn’t shy away from big moments and he could be a nice pick-up once the lockout ends.