Although the image of the Cubs outfield is completely resolved (especially now that Ian Happ’s 2021 salary has been decided), the role of the 4th / 5th outfield / bank is changing. Yesterday night, the Cubs rehired veteran Cameron Maybin and today, they officially officially hired Jake Marisnick previously reported.
But it came with a drop in the list of 40 men:
THE #Cubs today agreed to the terms of OF Jake Marisnick in a major league contract for 2021 with a mutual option for the 2022 season.
OF Phillip Ervin was assigned to the mission. pic.twitter.com/ftsTXCixoI
– Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) February 21, 2021
As Brett discussed today, Marisnick is likely to be the “fourth” nominal outfielder when the season begins, while Maybin will be competing with a number of back-end banking options (both domestically and abroad), such as Michael Hermosillo, Nick Martini, Ian Miller, Ragael Ortega, Matt Duffy, Ildemaro Vargas and Patrick Wisdom.
Of course, we initially included Phillip Ervin, 28, in that conversation, due to his youth and success against left-handed pitchers throughout his career (113 wRC +) – which was a major area of weakness for the Cubs attack last season. And it’s not as if Joc Pederson or Cameron Maybin (or Marisnick, for that matter) had done much to alleviate these concerns. Unfortunately, the Cubs’ list of 40 players is full to the brim and the Cubs chose to keep Marisnick at risk of losing Ervin (I’m sure landing in Maybin helped make the decision a little easier).
Oh, and another thought: remember that the Cubs promised to give Joc Pederson a chance to start every day, even against lefties, which is one more reason why risking the loss of Ervin probably seemed sustainable.
But remember, this does not mean that the Cubs lost it * permanently *. Now that he has been DFA and released from the 40 men for now, the Cubs have seven days to negotiate, resign or release him. They may simply be hoping that, at this time of year, Ervin will go over the exemptions as teams adjust their budgets and lists, and can remain in the organization after that. He has no secondary league options left, which makes his way with the Cubs a little more difficult. Of course, this can also help you avoid being selected by another team on exemptions.
Here’s what Brett had to say about Marisnick when the signature was first reported:
Marisnick, 29, is a powerful bat that has been close to the league average in his career against lefties, but he is a “reserve” bat against other righties. But he won a successful role in some very good teams because the glove plays well across the field.
When deployed judiciously, as you can see, he will not kill you at the base (although he is a tall guy on strikeout). But it is the glove that matters most, because it can be above average in the center and a nail in the corners. Having that guy in your bank is very valuable. It also runs very well at the bases and, again, can be a decent bat against left-handers off the bench.
Mostly, what you are seeing here is a replacement for Albert Almora, Jr .. The glove is similar, although Almora may be a little better for the eyesight test (some metrics say that Marisnick is better – he was also always advertised as a defensive stallion, like Almora). The bat will probably favor Marisnick a little.
In addition, once again, the Cubs decided to make the one-year major league deal with a mutual option, which effectively allows them to postpone some money until 2022, when the budget should be slightly larger / more flexible.