Top 4 remaining bats - 2. Brandon Drury
Landing at number two, the more versatile Brandon Drury is fresh off a career year between the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres. This season, he slashed a career-best .263/.320/.492 with 28 HRs and 87 RBIs. With the ability to play first base, second base, third base, and the outfield, Drury's skills and his 2-3 year $10.0MM AAV contract projection make him the perfect model to land in a Cubs uniform this winter. It only creates more sense when you dig into the advanced numbers because there is more than meets the eye.
Circling back to the platoon option guys for Matt Mervis, let's look at Drury's spectacular numbers against southpaws. With a slash of .299/.329/.626 and an ISO of .327 and 160 wRC+, Drury in a hitters ballpark can mash in a Cubs uniform. This season, Drury has a career-high 396 batted balls. 50% of Drury's batted ball events are to the pull side, and he carries a hard hit rate on those of 40%. His average launch angle for 2022 was 13.8. That being said, he's another strong candidate that should further see improved numbers with the ban of the extreme shift. His versatility in the field makes him a very viable corner-infield option for the Cubs in 2023.