Bonifacio has also gotten time in the outfield, but this is a pretty even job-sharing arrangement. That makes some sense in that the Cubs have a lot of guys they're trying to sort out, even if not for their direct benefit, then to give scouts from other teams a look-see at players so they can be peddled for something interesting in a trade.
Olt is a former top prospect not far from the form that made him one, so getting his career back on track would be huge. Valbuena and Bonifacio are playing like credible stopgaps or bench options should a better team come calling for one of them. Maybe the Cubs will like Bonifacio enough to hammer out an affordable contract extension.
Barney is hitting like one of the worst hitters in all of baseball. Which he is outside of pitchers and backup catchers. That's not just his meager 63 plate appearances this year (.127/.226/.181, so emphasis on meager). That's been his career in the majors (.242/.241/.331). That's really what his body of work in the minors would have suggested (.288/.337/.378).
There's his glove, which is excellent at second base and would probably play well at short or third. But as good as it is, it won't carry him as a starter at any position, and you'd really rather he never have to hit, making him a second-best utility infield option on a decent bench. That means he's not likely to bring the Cubs back much value in trade.
After making $2.3 million this season, I think it's also safe to say that if he's not sent to another team, the Cubs won't be tendering him a contract and taking him to arbitration for next season.
Barney simply has no value to the Cubs right now, and keeping him around is eating into something the team has right now that's very valuable, and that's playing time for those other guys who might play their way into the long-term picture, or at least boost their short-term value.
Even as a "rebuilding" team, the Cubs have other, better options. They should go with them.
I think Olt should be playing every day for them at 3B.
ReplyDeleteIf I were a betting man, I would say Olt will turn out to be a busted prospect. But, I've been wrong about guys like him before, and of this group, he's the one who *might* have some upside. Therefore, I'd play him and see what happens. If he fails, he's not going to harm anything. The Cubs aren't going anywhere right now regardless. And, if by some chance Olt does play well, he becomes a valuable trading chip whenever Kris Bryant is ready for the big leagues. For all the Chicago media hype surrounding Javier Baez, it still seems to me Bryant is the better prospect.
Valbuena and Bonifacio are useful utility guys, especially Bonifacio. They are playing more than they should on this particular Cubs team because, well, the Cubs don't have any better options at the moment.
That's sort of the thing. Olt might only remind everyone of Kevin Orie. But if Baez and Bryant aren't ready to audition, and the Cubs don't care about the margins on the win-now side of things, they should be playing the guy with the next-best shot at a bright future.
DeleteBarney doesn't have any future with the Cubs. There is no way the organization gets any better from playing him.