Vidal Bruján's Time With the Cubs is Coming To an End

[RandallPnkFloyd]

Image courtesy of John Antonoff/Chicago Sun-Times

With the exception of the work being done behind (and at) the plate, the bench that the Chicago Cubs cobbled together for 2025 has been an underwhelming presence on an otherwise offensively-capable roster. Perhaps that's a level of understatement given where things stand, but while an upgrade should be expected over the next month, there's at least one aspect in need of more immediate addressing. 

That aspect takes shape in the form of Vidal Bruján, who has essentially been the team's least valuable player. Yes, Justin Turner has been underwhelming as a short-side platoon option at first base. Sure, Jon Berti's .256 on-base percentage is pinning him down from utilizing his baserunning tool. But it's been Bruján serving as the deadest of weight on a roster that could use just a little bit of extra depth. 

It's difficult to get on a player too much given the role he was expected to fill. Nobody was deceiving themselves into thinking that Bruján was going to be anything other than a versatile, glove-only option. But, as recently as 2023, he was an intriguing offensive player at Triple-A. That's essentially been wiped off the map thus far in '25. 

To date, Bruján has appeared at the plate just 32 times, which probably speaks to where he stands anyway given that Matt Shaw spent a month at Triple-A. Within those 32 plate appearances, though, Bruján has turned in the following: a .161/.188/.226 slash line, a 25.0 K%, a 3.1 BB%, and a .065 ISO. His wRC+ stands at 13. Among Cubs players that have taken at least five trips to the plate this year, only Nicky Lopez was worse (1 wRC+). 

Worse yet, there's nothing here to indicate that Bruján has more in the tank to offer or that there's been any kind of luck component. He has yet to barrel a pitch this year (0.0 Barrel%) and is hitting the ball in the air over half the time. That blend of soft contact and fly ball energy isn't going to carry you anywhere offensively. That his xBA is actually lower than his current mark (.151) doesn't ring as any sort of surprise. Even with a lower hard hit rate last year, he was still able to work a .276 BABIP given that he was putting the ball on the ground — something of an essential for a light-hitting presence like Bruján — with a little more frequency.

Not that it's worth getting worked up over a player whose role has been so minimal. Craig Counsell has clearly recognized the empty impact Bruján brings given that extraordinarily low volume of plate appearances at this juncture in the season. But. when you talk about depth, you'd like to have at least mild competence off the bench when you're trying to give your starters a rest, especially as the summer heat waves continue. With Bruján, you'd be inserting a total offensive zero at the plate whose defense has also checked in at varying levels of "fine."

The main issue for the Cubs is that they simply have no additional options with which they can replace him. There isn't a player in Iowa that could fill such a role, as you want more of an extended run for upper-tier prospects than a bench role would provide. Even someone like James Triantos, who could bounce around the field a bit if the Cubs were so inclined, has regressed in just about every way offensively in 2025. It's just not there. 

Nor do we know about potential trade candidates. Fringe guys aren't featured in trade rumors like the bigger names are. But that's what the Cubs need: a fringe guy. Someone capable of contributing on occasion and possessing a level of versatility. Bruján has the latter but has proven incapable of the former. And, unlike the value of someone like Turner (noted veteran leadership) or Berti (speed), we don't have a benchmark for the value that Bruján provides to this roster. The broader context of his numbers, even in being deployed so infrequently, casts doubt over whether he provides this roster with any value.

As trade season starts to heat up, it's likely that Vidal Bruján won't be long for the roster. It was a worthwhile pickup; there was some minor league upside at the plate and the versatility will play on any bench. But, we've already seen the Cubs move on from two other zeroes at the plate in Lopez & Gage Workman. It's getting close to time to shore up the fringes, which means that Bruján could be next... once a viable replacement option manifests.

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[KJTchoup]

So, Berti brings the value of speed but Brujan does not?  The article loses all credibility with this comment, given Brujan is faster than Berti

To call him a complete zero seems harsh.  I won't argue and say he has been productive, but there are very few players who would find much success when they rarely get an at bat.  The same goes for Gage Workman, an intriguing young player who earned a job with a tremendous camp

The Cubs insistence on force feeding Matt Shaw, the worst hitter in the major leagues, into the lineup has prevented meaningful at bats for these bench players you criticize.  You can upgrade to a different fringe player all you want, but it won't matter because Counsell rides his starting eight hard, so the bench rarely plays.  The only guy who sits is, inexplicably, Michael Busch.  Why Busch gets put down and Shaw does not is baffling