How many of the same guy can Jed Hoyer acquire in one offseason?
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Thanks to Josh for lending us this space where we can banter with the best of them about all of the Cubs offseason. It’s been slow going since the Dodgers decided to corner the market on elite relievers, but we did get news yesterday that the Cubs were adding 35-year old utilityman, Jon Berti.
More on him after some tunes.
I decided to let Pandora roll the dice a bit on tonight’s musical selection and it did not disappoint:
Aimee Mann’s Deathly is a haunting melody about a doomed relationship and she really nails the lyrics in this one:
Now that I’ve met you
Would you object to
Never seeing each other again
‘Cause I can’t afford to
Climb aboard you
No one’s got that much ego to spendSo don’t work your stuff
Because I’ve got troubles enough
No, don’t pick on me
When one act of kindness could be
Deathly
Deathly
Deathly
The song originally appears in the 1999 movie Magnolia which is described on IMDB as “an epic mosaic of interrelated characters in search of love, forgiveness and meaning in the San Fernando Valley.”
‘Cause I’m just a problem
For you to solve and
Watch dissolve in the heat of your charm
But what will you do when
You run it through and
You can’t get me back on the farmSo don’t work your stuff
Because I’ve got troubles enough
No, don’t pick on me
When one act of kindness could be
Deathly
Deathly
Deathly
Definitely
It’s not the most well-known song on the soundtrack, which probably goes to the Academy Award nominated Save Me. The more cult classic on the soundtrack is Mann’s haunting rendition of One. And while I love both of those songs and others on the soundtrack, Deathly always strikes me as the real lyrical masterpiece of the film:
You’re on your honor
‘Cause I’m a goner
And you haven’t even begun
So do me a favor
If I should waver
Be my savior
And get out the gunSo don’t work your stuff
Because I’ve got troubles enough
No, don’t pick on me
When one act of kindness could be
Deathly
Deathly
Deathly
Definitely
Back here in Cubslandia we’re on night number two of discussing Jon Berti, but I’ve got a bit of a different twist than Josh’s write up of the signing yesterday. You should certainly check that full piece out for more information on the newest Cub, including the below contract details:
The Cubs made a move tonight to shore up their infield as they signed free agent Jon Berti to a one-year, $2 million deal with up to another $1.3 million in incentives. Berti turns 35 today, so it’s a happy birthday for him.
I mean, sure. I guess. And truly, happy birthday to Jon! I hope it was lovely.
And also, everything about this signing makes me think of this GIF:
As of this writing the Cubs 40-man roster is full and all of the following very similar players are on it: Luis Vazquez, Benjamin Cowles, Vidal Bruján, and Gage Workman. There will need to be a corresponding roster move to add Berti.
Aside from some handedness versatility, is the front office deliberately playing a game of “how many scrappy utility guys can be on the same roster at once?” Keep in mind this is also the team who employed Nick Madrigal, Miles Mastrobuoni, Ildemaro Vargas and Zach McKinstry at various points in time. Jed Hoyer certainly has a type. I apologize in advance if I missed a scrappy middle infield type from the last two years (it’s genuinely hard to keep up), but every guy who had at least 50 plate appearances that I could remember being on the Cubs 40-man in the last two seasons, plus Berti’s and Bruján’s 2024 are below:
This might be the first leaderboard McKinstry’s found himself atop of, so congrats?
And look, every team needs depth. Injuries happen and I admit I was pleasantly surprised with Mastrobuoni’s ability to play short stop last season. But this is a shockingly mediocre crew of utility guys. Beyond the wRC+’s that range from 36 to 95, my real question is do you need five of these guys on the 40-man at any given point in time? I mean, surely some of these players have to fall off the roster when Matt Shaw and/or James Triantos prove they can be close to average with way more upside, right?
Or perhaps this is just the nature of the last few guys on the 40-man and for whatever reason no one is really all that concerned about having a backup 1B at all, but they are very concerned about depth at the other infield positions.
So, BCB After Dark, I leave it to you. Why do the Cubs have so many scrappy utility guys on the roster at any point in time?