The Chicago Cubs have made plenty of upgrades this offseason, but they still need to address one thing: a backup bat for Michael Busch and Moises Ballesteros. With Tyler Austin out with injury, the Cubs don’t have a righty back up for first base and DH.
FanSided’s Chris Landers predicts the Cubs will fix this by signing an MLB vet to a small deal in Wilmer Flores, who’s power and being right-handed will fix their problem.
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“The Cubs figure to be back in the market for one, after offseason acquisition Tyler Austin — penciled in as the righty counterpart to Michael Busch at first base and/or Moises Ballesteros at DH — underwent knee surgery that will keep him out until at least the summer. Chicago can try to just get by until then, but they could also look at Flores, who intends to continue his career after six seasons in San Francisco. Flores is a limited player at this point in his career, but one thing he’s always been able to do is crush left-handed pitching. If Chicago needs someone to fill the Justin Turner role on the cheap until Austin returns, Jed Hoyer could do a lot worse,” Landers wrote.
This past season, Flores slashed .241/.307/.279/.686 with 10 doubles, 16 home runs and 71 RBI in 125 games. He would be a perfect bat to hit lefties when needed, and provides a lot of power off the bench.
He’d be cheap, too. He’s projected to receive a one-year, $2.1 million deal, which would be incredibly cost-effective for Chicago.
Hopefully, the Cubs realize this and work on making an offer to Flores before Opening Day.
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