In need of a new manager after the firing of very successful Joe Maddon, the Chicago Cubs are looking for not only someone to lead the team but they are also in need of players to help this team get back to the playoffs. After having made the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, the Cubs succumbed to their late-season collapse, ultimately being on the outside of the postseason picture, looking in.
Mid-season trade acquisition Nicholas Castellanos was a huge get for them, and his impact helped keep them in the playoff hunt until the very end. The former Detroit Tigers right fielder is now a free agent, and his value has never been higher in his career, so a payday is directly ahead for him.
The Cubs, who have been facing a shortage of funds to go around the past few seasons, are now tasked with dealing with a few players that are not living up to their monstrous contracts. Yu Darvish, Jon Lester, and Jason Heyward are some of the team’s highest-paid players, and while the books say they are some of the best players in the league, their on-field performance certainly does not.
With the need to improve the team while not necessarily having the funds to do so, an interesting name comes to mind that can help this team out while not costing a ton – Yasiel Puig. The well-traveled outfielder, who has suited up for the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cincinnati Reds and most recently the Cleveland Indians, Puig is a wildcard for teams that are looking to try and upgrade their outfield ranks.
Known for his power hitting and his personality, Puig is a buy-low candidate who has shown in the past that he has the ability to positively impact a team’s chances of making the playoffs. For the Cubs, they are definitely no stranger to making moves that people question, and while Puig’s on-field talent is bar none, his personality can be a bit of a turn-off for some franchises.
On a one or two-year deal, potentially with a built-in option for more years to be added on, Yasiel Puig would be a great player for the Cubs to take a chance on, especially with how much Castellanos will almost certainly cost this offseason. If they had the flexibility, then Chicago would be smart to resign Castellanos, but that seems to not be in the cards for this winter.
The 29-year-old produced a very Puig-like season in 2019, split between both the Reds and the Indians. A combined 24 home runs, 84 runs driven in, and a .267 average is very solid, although his 133 strikeouts is a career-high in a season, and for a player that has always had high strikeout numbers, that trend does not seem to be going away.
In a pivotal offseason for the Cubs in their trek to regain their footing at or near the top of the National League Central division, their foray into free agency needs to be more calculated and smart than in years past. For Theo Epstein and the rest of the franchise’s front office, taking a serious look at signing Yasiel Puig would be a good move for this team, especially with the current state that it is in.
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