Cubs bolster depth with veteran utility option Scott Kingery |
Dustin Riese
· · 48 minutes ago
It took long enough, but the Chicago Cubs got back into the free agent market and signed one. Granted, this may not be a major league signing, but it's a signing nonetheless, as overall depth is just as important as adding to your Major League Roster.
With the Winter Meetings a few days away, this is typically the offseason's downtime as many teams wait for those meetings before getting the party started. For the most part, things have gone that way this offseason, but you are beginning to see more moves on the free agent front, which is a pleasant surprise given how things were expected to go. The Cubs have already started their offseason, making a trio of early moves. All of those moves stemmed from the pitching front, with Colin Rea, Shota Imanaga, and Phil Maton receiving deals, but it is going to take more than that to round out this roster. Today, it's all about utility man Scott Kingery as the Cubs have come to terms with Kingery on a Minor League deal with an invite to Spring Training. These are the types of deals that Jed Hoyer tends to make during this portion of the offseason, and you have the success that a lot of the Cubs' non-roster invitees have had the past few seasons. Oddly enough, this was the longest the Cubs have gone without making a waiver claim and/or signing a player to a Minor League deal since Hoyer took over, and that alone is worth noting as the rest of the offseason unfolds. Even if most Cubs fans don't care about this signing, there is value in it, especially given how long he has been around and how many positions he can play. Known primarily for his time with the Philadelphia Phillies, the now 31-year-old has had some success in the past, even if he has been seen as a platoon player most of his career. Coming up through the minors, Kingery was always seen as a solid prospect who often ranked among the Phillies' top 30 prospects. Once he reached the majors, Kingery was treated to brief success, but it was short-lived, as he spent most of his time in AAA rather than the Minors. 2025 is a prime example of that, as Kingery spent most of last season with the Angels' AAA team, but still managed to get some Major League time as the year unfolded. He went on to hit .242/.302/.425/70 wRC last season and was even closer to league average the year prior as a member of the Phillies' AAA team. However, with a .145/.205/.239/19 wRC+ major league slash line since 2019; times have been tough for the veteran, as he may be nothing more than a depth piece at this point in his career. As good as it is to have a player like Kingery that can play a variety of positions, the hope for him is to be an emergency roster addition, as the Cubs would be in real trouble if they needed to count on him long-term. He is very similar to Ben Zobrist in terms of defensive ability and can play virtually every position in the field and play it well. It's the offense that has been putrid at best of late, but there was plenty of belief that he could be one of the many cornerstones for the Phillies back in the day. Look no further than the pre-arbitration deal that he struck with the Phillies when they added him to their roster for $24 million. A deal like that may not seem like much, but when you look at where arbitration was in the past compared to where it is now, that was one of those unicorn deals that were few and far between. Best of luck to Kingery this season, as he will be given every opportunity to prove his worth to the Cubs and their entire organization.
