NEWSLETTER
Free agent second baseman, and (for now) former Chicago Cub Jason Kipnis offered up a quick set of thoughts on Twitter today.
Summing it up? “Let’s go”:
A week late but I’d like to thank the Padres for that small bit of excitement! Refreshing to see! MLB offseason have become the worst in terms of action and keeping fans excited..Also..when the hell are we starting this year? Feb? March? It’d be nice to let us know maybe… @MLB
— Jason Kipnis (@TheJK_Kid) January 5, 2021
Last offseason was a modest respite from the freeze out of the preceding two years, but this offseason has been brutally slow and inactive, thanks to the combined forces of the pandemic, the CBA, the uncertainty about 2021, and the ever-increasing desire for front office to wait free agents out.
For guys like Kipnis, in particular, the slowness of the market has to be especially galling, since you know not much will happen for you until other parts of free agency are settled – and they’re FAR from settled. So you get a trickle, trickle of signings, but (like last year for him) Kipnis might not get serious attention until most of the free agent pool is signed up, and then perhaps he finds out which teams offer him the best path to big league playing time on a minor league deal.
It’s conceivable that he could re-up with the Cubs in that way eventually, depending on what else they do with the roster. But they’re a perfect example: they likely wouldn’t be a great option for Kipnis – or an aggressive team on him – until more of the market sorts out and the Cubs see what they can do.
Kipnis, 33, hit .237/.341/.404 with a 102 wRC+ over 135 PAs as a platooner for the Cubs in 2020. The glove looked to be adequate, at least, but his strikeout rate exploded, and his expected metrics suggest he was exceedingly lucky to put up the line he did.
As far as the timing goes on the start of the season, it’s good to hear an outspoken veteran player putting the question out there, because even if the league and players union are currently EXPECTING the season to start on time, these guys need something definitive very soon. A whole lotta players like to get to their Spring Training sites long before the official reporting dates in mid-February, which means travel and accommodation arrangements need to be made soon.
