Cubs bring in veteran outfielder David Peralta

The Chicago Cubs have reportedly signed veteran outfielder David Peralta to a Minor League deal. FanSided's Robert Murray was the first to report the signing. ESPN's Jesse Rogers was the first to report it's a minor league deal.

The lefty-hitting 36th-year-old outfielder has played 10 seasons in the Majors, mostly with the Diamondbacks and last season with the Dodgers. He won a Silver Slugger in 2018 and a Gold Glove in 2019. He's a career .279/.335/.450 hitter with 117 home runs, .784 OPS, and 108 wRC+. Last year he hit .259/.294/.381 with seven home runs in 133 games with the Dodgers, while posting a 9.0 UZR (ultimate zone rating) and 8 DRS (defensive runs saved) in the outfield.

Peralta is being brought in as veteran depth and insurance. While there was brief fear of this being the next "big move", instead of signing another notable former Dodger, a minor league deal spells out the intention of bringing him in. There is no big commitment here and no guarantee he will make the MLB roster. If he does he will likely be a bench/matchup/defensive replacement player. He can play the corner outfield (hasn't played in center since 2016) and has hit .333/.390/.495 as a pinch hitter in his career.

Right now the two starting corner outfielders are set in Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki, with centerfield being tentatively Mike Tauchman and/or Pete Crow-Armstrong depending on how things go. Having depth is important though and Peralta should get a good look in camp to see what he can still provide.

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