After their flurry of offseason moves, the Chicago Cubs are seemingly set for the 2016 season. However, that doesn't mean they're done tinkering with their in-house options as they look to make their roster as flexible as possible.
Rumors earlier in the offseason suggested the team was going to give infielder Javier Baez reps in center field during the offseason and that's exactly what's being reported this week.
"The Cubs' Javier Baez played his third game in center field on Sunday and went 1-for-4 in Santurce's 2-1 loss to Mayaguez in the Puerto Rican winter league," writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. "In 13 games so far with Santurce, Baez is batting .227 (10-for-44) with two doubles, one homer, six RBIs, seven walks and nine strikeouts. His home run came in his second game on Dec. 6. Baez has started at second base in seven games and at shortstop in three."
Now, here's what Muskat says the Cubs' reasoning for doing so is:
"The Cubs are hoping that Baez, 23, can be comfortable enough to play in the outfield when needed, giving manager Joe Maddon another versatile piece."
That's certainly a possibility, but are they really going to use a former top MLB prospect as a utility player? Maybe, but that can't be assumed this early in Baez's career. His potential is untapped and his athleticism has a good chance of translating to center field on a full-time basis.
So let's consider a few other options.
Yes, Jason Heyward was signed to play center field, but he's primarily a right fielder and that's where he's best defensively. Right fielder Jorge Soler was the subject of trade rumors before and shortly after the team signed Heyward, but president of baseball operations Theo Epstein and manager Joe Maddon spoke publicly and indicated Soler was not going to be traded.
If that's the case, then perhaps the team is contemplating shifting Soler over to left and having Kyle Schwarber transition back to catching on a more regular basis. Soler has never played the position in his career, but Heyward also has never played center field for a full season (just 32 career games). After all, Soler is probably a better left fielder than Schwarber, and if Baez can play center field that would allow Heyward to return to right and possibly give the Cubs two good defensive outfielders (Baez and Heyward) as opposed to one.
However, Soler would certainly need offseason work at the position and there has yet to be any news or rumors on that.
The other scenario is that Soler is indeed still on the trading block and the Cubs may try to roll with Schwarber in left, Baez in center and Heyward in right for the time being. Chicago has been working to acquire starters and relievers this offseason and Soler can certainly bring back a useful pitcher in return. It may not be the cost-controlled starter the team is looking to acquire, but it'll probably be someone who will upgrade the unit. Then again, the team may not want to sell low on Soler given he's had limited experience at the MLB level and didn't produce the power numbers many were expecting him to last year.
The most conservative way to go about this is to have Baez shift into a utility role for 2016 while getting him a majority of his reps in center field. This would help cultivate the youngster into becoming a full-time center fielder and then the team could make the adjustment when Schwarber returns to catching on a more consistent basis.
As of right now it looks like they'll open the season with Schwarber in left, Heyward in center and Soler in right. However, Soler's injury troubles over throughout his six-year professional career may also give Baez more of an opportunity to play the outfield.
If he can prove to be efficient in center, then the Cubs will have some pondering to do.
