Ok But Seriously, Are the 2025 Cubs Not Going to Have a Backup First Baseman?

[Matthew Trueblood]

There's certainly a chance of another big addition to the Cubs roster this spring. What are the odds of a smaller one, to round out an incomplete roster segment?

Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

If the season started tomorrow, the Chicago Cubs' backup first baseman would be whichever of Miguel Amaya or Carson Kelly wasn't catching on a given day. The team has also talked about being open to using infielder Jon Berti in that role, but Berti is a light-hitting speedster with experience almost everywhere else and almost none at first. In theory, the team could ask Rule 5 pick Gage Workman to take some reps at first this spring, but if they want to keep him on the roster when they break camp (and thus avoid having to return him to the Tigers), they can't take up all his time learning a mostly unimportant defensive job.

Alexander Canario is a slightly more plausible candidate to learn the ropes at first in camp, because he brings the thing the Cubs most need from a prospective handcuff to starter Michael Busch: batting right-handed. That's not because Busch is unusually susceptible to platoon mismatches. In fact, he's done very well against lefties, relative to most lefty batters, in his short career.

Platoon Splits, Michael Busch, Career (2023-24)

I	Split	PA	HR	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	BAbip	tOPS+
	vs RHP	533	22	63	158	.235	.327	.433	.760	.302	103
	vs LHP	115	1	8	31	.250	.313	.365	.678	.343	83

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/10/2025.

Those numbers against southpaws look lackluster, but it's only Busch's power that has disappeared when he's faced lefties. Most lefty batters suffer in an even more pronounced way against lefties. Busch hangs tough. Still, you'd love to have a stronger option against lefties, and that's before accounting for whatever risk there is of regression from Busch in his second full big-league season. The Cubs traded away Matt Mervis this winter, which was no great loss (Mervis isn't a candidate to make any kind of long-term contribution at this point, and he, too, bats lefty), but it does leave them without an obvious fallback plan for Busch, even at Triple-A Iowa. Jonathon Long had a great 2024 in the middle levels of the minors, but he has yet to take a single plate appearance at Triple A. (To be fair, Workman hasn't done so, either.)

That invites the question of whether the team will go outside the organization to add a player for that job. Mark Canha, Ty France, Justin Turner and Yuli Gurriel are still available, and likely to be quite cheap. The Cubs might prefer to realign some depth and find an optionable bat, instead, but those players can be harder to find at this time of year. Spencer Torkelson has been connected to the team a few times this winter, but the team would probably make that move only if Torkelson cost virtually nothing.

Another option is to wait out spring training and see who shakes loose at the end of March, when some players who signed minor-league deals elsewhere are informed they won't make their new teams and have the right to opt for free agency. At that point, the Cubs might be able to snare someone like Joey Meneses, who signed with the Mets before they brought back Pete Alonso last week. They don't need a solution to this problem tomorrow, and probably won't have one. In the long run, though, it'll be interesting to see whether and how the team addresses that apparent hole in an otherwise strong roster.

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[Bertz]

There has to be someone, maybe multiple someones, converting to the position this spring.  It's the only thing that makes sense.

There has barely been a peep this winter tying the team to a 1B.  I think the Athletic mentioned Ty France one time?  The backup catcher right now is either Berti or one of the catchers.  Down at Iowa we do have Ballesteros, but if something major happened to Busch do you really want to take Moises away from catching for a couple months?

Canario is interesting, that would be a good way to get him onto the big league bench to open the year.  I also think Caissie needs to start a couple days a week there in case of that aforementioned long term Busch injury.

I'm hoping the team is in in Canha/Turner, and just don't want to pull the trigger until the Bregman situation resolves itself.  For as much as Jed's MO is depth and solving for downside situations this is some pretty major exposure currently.

[Jimbocubman]

I believe there will be several options available, I personally like to add Brett Baty via trade with Mets for possibly Wicks or Canario & then sign Canha or Turner, DFA Brujan.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

1 minute ago, Jimbocubman said:

I believe there will be several options available, I personally like to add Brett Baty via trade with Mets for possibly Wicks or Canario & then sign Canha or Turner, DFA Brujan.

Welcome!

[Jimbocubman]

With the moves I would like to see as already mentioned, they should also find a LHRP to complete roster.

[SB in SC]

You were ahead of the news of the Cubs talking to Turner.  Nice to be a step ahead of the Cubs Front Office Matt.