3 remaining free agents the Cubs must avoid at all costs

3 free agents the Cubs must avoid at all costs: #2 - Brandon Belt

I'm not saying the Cubs won't add an insurance agency behind Matt Mervis at first base, but I can tell you it probably won't be another left-handed bat, which rules out something with longtime Giants staple Brandon Belt.

Belt, who has spent his entire 12-year career with San Francisco, played in only 78 games last year and slashed just .213/.326/.350 - a far cry from his .261/.356/.458 career line. He'll turn 35 in April and just doesn't check the boxes this Cubs team needs.

A sub-par defensive first baseman (he ranked in the 17th percentile in OAA) who struck out at a personal-worst rate in 2022 with a dismal xBA, it's hard to see a lot of upside here for a team like the Cubs. Chicago would be better served finding someone who can see some time at first, while also handling duties as a fourth outfielder or at the hot corner.

If Jed Hoyer doesn't add another bat (outside of a catcher, which is almost a 'must' at this point), the team would be better served rolling with Patrick Wisdom and Cody Bellinger as backup options at first while they evaluate Mervis. The dollars that could be allocated to someone like Belt or Yuli Gurriel could be better spent elsewhere.