Miguel Sano wouldn't be an answer for the Chicago Cubs at third base

A rumor that has surfaced in the past week was that the Chicago Cubs may not be done with adding position players to their Major League roster. The expectation after the team signed Trey Mancini earlier this month was that the focus would shift to filling out the pitching staff but there are veteran position players that remain available and could provide value for the Cubs.

Recently, our very own Michael Brakebill took a look at three free-agent position players that the Cubs may still have an interest in. Among the players that were mentioned was former Minnesota Twins top prospect Miguel Sano.

Sano never quite reached his full potential since debuting at the Major League level with the Twins in 2015. Sano's best season with the Twins was in 2019 when he slashed .247/.346/.576 with a 138 wRC+ and .378 wOBA. Sano also had a career-high 34 home runs that season.

Sano continued to show power in 2020 and 2021 but injuries limited him to only 20 games with the Twins during the 2022 season. Sano was a shell of his former self offensively in 2022 as he slashed .083/.211/.133 in 70 plate appearances to go with 9 wRC+ and .176 wOBA.

At this point in his career, Sano shouldn't be viewed as an option for a team that is looking for an everyday player at a position. For the Cubs, the team already has a player that fits a similar profile to Sano at third base in Patrick Wisdom. The value that each player brings to the team is power but the strikeout tendencies and struggles defensively will limit the true impact that they can have.

Should the Cubs still look at Sano on a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training? The answer to that question is probably no as well. Sano offers very little positional flexibility at this point in his career as he is only playable at first base. Given the additions of Mancini and Eric Hosmer, and prospect Matt Mervis not far away from reaching the Major League level, the at-bat opportunities for Sano would be few and far between.