Cubs add infield depth with addition of former division rival

The Chicago Cubs are filling out their 60-man player pool with the addition of Hernan Perez.

Per MLB’s shortened season rules, teams can easily add players to the expanded rosters. Taking them off, due to transport and virus contraction risks, isn’t as easy, so when the Chicago Cubs added Hernan Perez to the player pool on Wednesday, you can bet they intend to use him.

Perez is a former Milwaukee Brewer, who spent the 2015-19 seasons in direct opposition to the Cubs’ goal of an NL Central title. He was initially invited to Spring Training as a non-roster invitee, but when the pandemic delayed the season for three months, he was left without a home. Considering his flexibility to play just about any infield position, he’ll be valuable in the Windy City.

How does Hernan Perez fit on the Cubs roster?

Perez’s ascent from emergency infield option to reliable starter is a career arc that would prove valuable to the player, but disastrous for the Cubs. Chicago’s infield features an enormous amount of star-power, with Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Javier Baez manning first base, third base and shortstop respectively. Should any of the three go down, the Cubs’ chances decrease immensely.

In just a 60-game season, the need for super-utility hitters isn’t as necessary as it would be in a 162-game campaign, but there’s still a place for Perez in the player pool considering the risk involved of playing a season at all during a pandemic.

In the last three seasons, Perez’s batting average has fallen in the .250 range consistently, and he’s played upwards of 136 games. That’s heavy game action for a player contributing to a contending roster, so to insist Perez is a scrub would be false.

The 29-year-old adds a veteran presence to the Cubs infield that, should he be needed, won’t induce panic in the clubhouse. In an offseason that lacked the usual flare on the North Side, the Cubs waited until July to make a semi-meaningful move.