The Cubs are so right-handed. We’ve talked about this many times before, but it’s only become more noticeable after the additions of righties Seiya Suzuki and Andrelton Simmons (and with Ian Happ’s elbow procedure). It would be nice to bring in a lefty bat, whether as a full-timer or a rotational piece.
To that end, this sounds about right:
Cubs are looking for corner infield help that hits left handed to augment what Schwindel and Wisdom bring.1B/3B Colin Moran formally of the Pirates might be a good fit.
— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) March 16, 2022
Having a lefty bat (or two) to pair with the righty corners – and help them perhaps maintain success, which is not assured – seems like a really good idea. Moran, 29, is one of the few available. You’re familiar with him because of his time with the Pirates, where he was an exactly average hitter overall (.269/.331/.419, 100 wRC+). He’s been slightly better against righties, though: .280/.341/.440 (107). The pairing with the Cubs could make a lot of sense.
I mention Hosmer in headline because, well, for one thing he’s a lefty corner infielder that fits the Levine mention, and also because we know the Cubs have had talks with the Padres in the past. But the “new” element is this:
Also: Padres likely would need to trade Hosmer, possibly attaching him to a prospect like outfielder Robert Hassell, to clear money for Freeman. Red Sox might be in same position with payroll. Extent of interest unclear. https://t.co/Rnt9lu3lox
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 16, 2022
To be sure, I still don’t expect the Padres (or any non-Dodgers team) to land Freeman when all is said and done. And moreover, with Seiya Suzuki going to the Cubs, the Padres lost another high-dollar target that would necessitate a Hosmer trade. However, there are still notable and pricey free agent bats out there (Kris Bryant? Nick Castellanos? Jorge Soler?) that might force the Padres to make this move.
And the part I wanted to call out: a specific prospect is now mentioned, outfielder Robert Hassell. To my mind, that doesn’t get out there like this – a specific name – unless the Padres are specifically dangling Hassell in these talks. Hassell, the 8th overall pick in 2020, is a top 50 prospect in the game, and one whom the Cubs reportedly liked in the run-up to the draft and in the Yu Darvish talks. (Oh, and as for Hosmer, he is not worth his contract – which is the point of getting the prospect – but he does still generally hit righties above-average, like Moran.)
I’m still very much keeping an eye on this.