3 moves Cubs should make for all-in offseason after signing Cody Bellinger

1. Brandon Drury is the versatile answer at 1B the Cubs need

After the club tore down the roster to the studs at the 2021 trade deadline, a decision that included trading star first baseman Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees, the team has very much been biding its time looking to get prospect Matt Mervis into the starting role at the position. That time has not fully come, though.

Subsequently, one of the goals of this offseason should be to get a guy who can platoon with Mervis once he’s called up and provide stability overall at first base. That someone could be Brandon Drury, a player familiar with the NL Central as he was traded from the Reds to the Padres at last year’s deadline.

While Drury spent the majority of the 2022 season playing at third base, but the utility man has played at second, first and even in the outfield at various points throughout his career. Moreover, he also crushed lefty pitching last season and enjoyed an overall breakout campaign for a player who many people have been waiting to do just that for quite some time.

Drury could be a perfect platoon option for the Cubs with Mervis as he can step in and hit when he’s spelling the prospect but, moreover, if and when Mervis is ready to fully take over, he has the positional versatility to stay in the lineup and fill other holes. That’s the type of smart roster movement that could really help Chicago take a big step forward in the 2023 campaign.