One critical question the Chicago Cubs will have to have answered in spring training is who the starter at the keystone position will be, come Opening Day?
There has been so much focus this offseason on who the Chicago Cubs will have be their starting third basemen for Opening Day 2025. Even though that is an important question and the frontrunner for the job appears to be the Cubs top prospect Matt Shaw who President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer has said Shaw will have as much runway as possible to win the job out of spring training. There’s another important question that hasn’t been talked about and could cause an issue for the Cubs come Opening Day which is, who will start at the keystone position?
The Chicago Cubs current options on the Major League roster
The current occupant who holds the starting job at second base is 27-year-old Gold Glover Nico Hoerner. Sadly, for fans they won’t see their beloved second basemen who, will most likely not be ready come Opening Day 2025 after received surgery to repair a flexor tendon which he is currently recovering from. As of the publishing of this article the Chicago Cubs have not provided an update on the status of Hoerner’s recover, so we can figure he will most likely miss the first month of the season.
With that being the case the Cubs will have to figure out in spring training who will be their starting second basemen for Opening Day. Some of the options the Cubs have internally are recently acquired utility-man Vidal Bruján who could figure to be the top option to fill the spot until Nico Hoerner’s return.
So far however, Bruján hasn’t put things together with the bat with him being a career .189/.261/.270 hitter with a career OPS and OPS+ of .531 and 49. If Bruján is in fact the option, the Cubs decide to go with, then he will really have to figure it out at the plate to provide some sort of offense at the bottom of the order.
The Chicago Cubs could turn to a young 21-year-old for help
One option that the Chicago Cubs could turn to internally is one of their top prospects in infielder James Triantos. Triantos is the Cubs fifth overall prospect and is MLBs number fifty-fifth ranked prospect. James Triantos played in 115 games last season between the Chicago Cubs Double and Triple-A affiliates where he had 133 hits, 23 doubles, 6 triples, 7 HRs, 52 RBI, 47 stolen bases with being caught 9 times, with a slash line of .300/.346/.427 with an OPS of .773.
With the Cubs looking to start playing their prospects like giving their top prospect in Matt Shaw a shot to win the starting third base job, the Cubs could figure to give Triantos a look given the need at second base. I think James Triantos is more than ready to get the call up to the Major Leagues given his bat is more than ready to take on veteran Major League pitching and he has proven to be a solid defensive player as well.
I think the Cubs should at least give Triantos a chance being he has also been used as utility-man as well, being able to play all infield spots (except catcher and first base), as well as centerfield. With Bruján not being great offensively and Triantos showing more promise in that area and being five-years younger it only makes sense to give him a shot just like how Matt Shaw is being given an opportunity.
Some free agents the Chicago Cubs could look into adding and have been in on
The Cubs were in the ‘mix’ to sign both utility-men Korean superstar Hyeseong Kim who ended up signing a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodger, and Josh Rojas who signed a one-year deal with their crosstown rival the Chicago White Sox.
Since missing out on both, the Chicago Cubs could still be in the market to find some more depth at second base. I have written that the Cubs should look into signing second basemen Brendan Rodgers who was non-tendered by the Colorado Rockies earlier this offseason. He would provide Gold Glover defense for the Cubs being he won the award back in 2022, and he would provide a solid bat at the bottom of their order with him being a career with a career line of .266/.316/.409 with a career OPS and OPS+ of .726 and 90.
We shall soon find out
We will see soon see who the Chicago Cubs will have their starting second basemen be once spring training concludes. There is a possibility that Hoerner could be ready to go for Opening Day, but with the Cubs being quiet on the subject and not providing any updates, fans can assume Hoerner most likely won’t be ready to go for Opening Day. The keystone position is an important spot on the diamond for the Cubs and will be an important question needing answered for the Cubs and its really anyone’s job to lose.
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