The Cubs have agreed to a minor league pact with infielder/outfielder Mike Freeman, according to the team’s transactions log at MLB.com.
Freeman, 30, was designated for assignment by the Dodgers when they acquired Yu Darvish in a last-minute deadline blockbuster and elected free agency later in the week. The versatile defender has appeared in 41 games between the Mariners, D-backs and Dodgers across the past two seasons, though he’s been more of a defensive replacement than a regular in the lineup. Freeman’s at-bats have been sporadic, and his 63 Major League plate appearances have resulted in just a .123/.206/.193 batting line.
His work in Triple-A has been substantially better. In parts of four seasons and a total of 1385 plate appearances at that level, Freeman has slashed an excellent .315/.379/.422 with nine homers and a near-perfect 35 steals in 36 attempts. He’s played all four infield positions and both outfield corners in the Majors, and he also has 686 innings of center field work under his belt in the minors.
The new tommy la Stella?
He has also pitched an inning LOL #SuperUtility
Glad he’s giving baseball another shot, he’s a horrible columnist.
They need more guys like this at Iowa.
Is this big news? Haha
I’m guessing he was signed as nothing more than another body in the minors. Russell is on the DL and LaStella has been called up. Just filling a roster spot. Nothing more. Nothing less. I just wonder how much money teams spend making moves like this during a season. Probably nickels to organizations, but there has to be an final cost.
If Russell is traded at some point, they need a backup on the roster that can play a good SS. Preferably a glove first person, or a super utility guy. It’s becoming painfully obvious that the Cubs should’ve traded one or both of Schwarber and Russell for Archer, Gray, Teheran, or someone like this. Not any one pitcher in particular. I’d say Gray of I had to pick one. But with Jay/Happ/Almora/Heyward/Zobrist/Bryant all available to play OF Schwarber and his high K rate should’ve been dealt for a SP. AND With Javy Baez never being given a full time real shot at an everyday position, and having a stronger and also, not injured, arm he should be the everyday SS and Russell and Schwarber should’ve been shipped out for a frontline starter.
Addition by subtraction PLUS a pitcher
I think you’ll like Russell and Schwarber on the Cubs in 2018.
Both may be on the Cubs in 2018 but something has to give with a couple of the position players who overlap in the field. It all depends on who the front office prefers among Addison Russell, Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber, Ian Happ and perhaps Albert Almora. I would be shocked if one of them isn’t dealt this offseason for a controllable quality starting pitcher, perhaps even two of them with their farm system depleted at the upper levels.
I believe Theo & Co. feel strong about all of these players and may have to deal someone they prefer not to in order to acquire a particular SP. I do have a hunch that if the choice comes down to keeping Russell or Baez at SS their preference would be the latter, perhaps swayed by the formers domestic violence issue that has yet to be ruled upon by MLB. I also believe that the FO would stick with defense and versatility if the choice came down to one of the three OF’s. This would make Schwarber the odd man out in favor of Almora who would be a perennial GG candidate in CF and Happ who provides a solid switch-hitting bat capable of playing all 3 outfield spots as well as 2B.
Well said.
Baez is performing just fine. 16 home runs isn’t bad. Tonight he had an inside the park home run. He hasn’t even reached half his potential. His predecessor Castro has reached his peak. He’ll never be that 25 to 30.homer guy the cubs wanted him to be. Baez and Russell are top 5 at their positions and if Baez played SS or 3rd or even 1st he’d be a top 5 player as well. Both Russell and Baez are 40 and 100 waiting to happen.
I highly doubt Theo and Co. Would be dumb enough to trade either one.
Regardless of his off year Russell still can rake.
Why bring Starlin Castro into this debate? He lacked the baseball instincts, focus and natural ability on defense to compare with either Addison Russell or Javier Baez. The only thing he had in common might have been with Russell because of a domestic violence allegation involving sexual assault against him as a Cub back in 2011 that was dropped by prosecutors due to a lack of sufficient evidence and eye witnesses which is often the case with a crime in a private residence.
Bottom line: The Cubs single biggest area of concern remains the starting rotation despite the recent acquisition of Jose Quintana. Jake Arrieta and John Lackey will likely be gone next season as impending free agents and there is no immediate help for the organization at the upper levels of their farm system. It’s highly unlikely that ownership will open the purse strings for an impact FA starter like Yu Darvish this offseason with the Jon Lester and Jason Heyward contracts already on their books. Many of their young stars are approaching arbitration eligibility and the better fiscal option might be to explore extensions to buy out those seasons as well as some years of future free agency. This conundrum makes a trade the likeliest source for solving their SP worries. A deal for an impacting and controllable starter will no longer come from dipping into a depleted farm system with so many top prospects already having been dealt along with others who now comprise their “excess” of talent as graduates on the active roster.
The Cubs front office has an opportunity to “kill two birds with one stone” and perhaps “three” by trading for a needed quality SP while using some of their abundance of young talent. This would help free up the log jam in the outfield and perhaps in the middle infield where Ben Zobrist still has 2 more years remaining on his contract and is best served playing LF and some 2B. Young players like Albert Almora, Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber, Baez and Russell all need and deserve more playing time to reach their MLB potential. Manager Joe Maddon seems to have his own issues lately in properly allocating their playing time with his questionable batting orders and defensive alignments. This is where the FO can also help their manager…by giving him less choices to make! lol
Russell isn’t going anywhere. He’s the long term SS for the cubs. Period. He’ll be there for the next 10 years. As will Baez Bryant Rizzo and Contreras. Keep those 5 together for 10 plus years. They’ll win 5 world.series in the next 12-15.years. A core group of players comes like them is once in a lifetime thing. In this case. Twice in a life time. The other being the Yankees with jeter Posada Rivera, bernie Williams.
They stayed together for 20 years. Give or take. My point is you don’t break them up for pitching that might not work out. Spend money on that. Bite the bullet if need be. The cubs have enough money to keep all of them for 10+ years.
Cubs’ Nation is thankful that bsteady7 is neither General Manager nor President of Baseball Operations..