Look, I know that he doesn’t get people fired up, and I know that the move will come against the backdrop of a very quiet, slow, tight offseason, but I really like this fit.
#Cubs close to signing free-agent IF Daniel Descalso, source tells The Athletic.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 18, 2018
Consider that Descalso, 32, exploded at the plate last year in ways tied to a fundamental change in his swing and approach, and there’s real upside here – rare for a guy of Descalso’s age. Rarer still for a guy who can play quality defense all over the field.
By getting Descalso into the fold, the Cubs will have the flexibility to cover the first month of the season without Addison Russell (or just deal him) and not strain Ben Zobrist in the process (or rely too heavily on a young guy like David Bote). Moreover, in theory, having Descalso could give the Cubs the roster flexibility to move Zobrist, if they wanted to save some payroll space. I know. I hate the thought, too. But it’s out there.
Even if you want to think about this as a pure bench play, just consider Descalso replacing Tommy La Stella. The bat might be close to comparable, and Descalso can actually play defense all over. Even if you look at this as a one-to-one replacement move, it’s an improvement. With all due love to La Stella, of course.
We’ll have more as this breaks. If you want to see why we’re high on Descalso for the Cubs, see our initial write-up here.
UPDATE: Jon Heyman says it’s done:
Descalso and Cubs have a deal. Nice pickup. Yet another player with versatility for their roster, which is full of them.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 18, 2018
UPDATE 2: This is a bargain for a versatile bench bat:
Sources: Descalso deal with #Cubs is two years, $5M with a club option fo 2021.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 18, 2018
That price tells me either that other teams don’t buy his swing/approach changes will carry forward, or they just weren’t as aggressive as the Cubs.
UPDATE 3: Buttoning up the option, it’s a $2.5 million decision:
Option for 2021 in Descalso’s contract with #Cubs is worth $3.5M. Team can also buy him out for $1M. Potential overall value, with performance bonuses, is $8.25M. Descalso gets a 49.25 percent increase over the $1.675 AAV in his previous two-year deal with #DBacks.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 18, 2018