Tyler Austin signing shouldn't stop the Cubs from chasing this former NL MVP

The Chicago Cubs' bench was a mess last year. Practically all of the regular starters — at least those who remained healthy — got worn down by the end of the season, resulting in a few frustrating power outages in the second half.

That unit is being completely overhauled this offseason, at least on paper. Gone are Justin Turner, Jon Berti, and the others who took up precious roster spots in 2025 only to deliver meager-at-best production.

In their stead, a host of top prospects (Owen Caissie, Kevin Alcantara, Moises Ballesteros) will patrol the Cubs' dugout as the first line of reserves. The team has also brought in outside reinforcements in the form of... Scott Kingrey and Tyler Austin?

It's clear the team still has a lot of work to do to ensure the starters don't burn out again in 2026. Though the free-agent market isn't replete with exceptional utility options, there are a few veterans who could boost the North Siders' overall production from the bench.

Including an old rival.

Tyler Austin shouldn't stop Cubs' Paul Goldschmidt pursuit this offseason

Paul Goldschmidt has made a career out of embarassing Cubs pitchers. In 136 games against them, Goldy has hit 32 home runs and 92 RBIs while posting a .931 OPS.

For that reason alone, it's probably wise for Chicago to scoop him up off the market and keep him out of any rivals' hands.

And though it's probably about time the Cubs let Michael Busch get some serious run against left-handed pitching, their lack of depth at the position begets a legitimate addition at first base.

At this moment, Jonathon Long is the only non-Austin backup to Busch. The 23-year-old prospect played 115 games at the position in Triple-A Iowa in 2025 while hitting .305/.404/.479 (131 wRC+) with 20 home runs. However, the right-handed hitter had reverse splits, posting a .791 OPS against lefties and a .914 OPS against righties.

That doesn't really solve the Busch problem, which is that his wRC+ plummeted from 151 against righties to 81 against southpaws in 2025.

Goldschmidt, on the other hand, has always crushed left-handed pitchers. Even in a modest season with the Yankees (.274/.328/.403, 103 wRC+), the longtime Cardinals slugger hit southpaws to the tune of a .336/.411/.570 (169 wRC+) batting line. That's MVP-caliber production from, well, a former MVP.

Combine that with Busch's ability to hammer righties, and you get an extremely dangerous platoon at the cold corner. It's also one that can field relatively well (Goldschmidt was worth -1 DRS this year; Busch was worth +2).

Of course, this conversation does require an important caveat I've been dancing around: the Cubs already signed Tyler Austin as a right-handed-hitting first baseman.

Now 34 years old, the former top prospect does have a career 132 wRC+ against southpaws. He's also played well in Japan, hitting 20+ home runs three times in his six seasons in the NPB.

However, he's a pure flier on a one-year, $1.25 million contract. That's a figure the team can afford to swallow if things don't work out — they're already paying Justin Turner a $2 million buyout in 2026 — which isn't out of the realm of possibility considering it's been six years since Austin last faced MLB pitching.

Goldschmidt is the safer option with a far better track record; if his market is suppressed enough, he won't cost magnitudes more than Austin.

It may not be ideal to use two of the team's four bench spots on one-position players (Amaya and Goldschmidt), but there's still a lot of juice in the veteran first baseman's bat. For the sake of keeping the offense afloat when Busch takes a rest, perhaps it's a union worth exploring.