Chicago Cubs: Team cannot bank on return of Ben Zobrist
By Ryan Sikes
Ben Zobrist is likely to return to the Chicago Cubs soon but the team cannot rely on him to change the dynamic of their offensive struggles.
It’s been tough, to say the least, watching this Chicago Cubs team try to score runs consistently. Waiting for one of their sluggers to hit a home run to get the scoring started while the rest of the lineups continues to leave guys on base has been infuriating. This is where the team has missed Ben Zobrist the most.
The 38-year-old Eureka, IL native has been away from the team since early May to deal with a personal matter at home and the Cubs have lacked his veteran bat in the order to keep the line moving. Zobrist is one of the best free-agent signings in franchise history and was one of the missing pieces needed to win the 2016 World Series.
I mean, heck, he did drive in the game-winning run. in Game 7. Who knows how that one turns out if Zobrist is on another team in 2016. He’s in the final year of his contract with the Cubs and through the first three, he’s slashed 0.269/0.362/0.412 with 80 doubles, 9 triples, 39 home runs and 194 RB’s. Most importantly, he hit 0.307 with runners-in-scoring-position last year.
RISP has been a major issue for the 2019 Cubs and, Zobrist is likely due back soon, but they cannot rely on him to be the savior. He has not played in a real game since May 7 and now he has the lingering effect of his personal life weighing on his shoulders. With rumors that Zobrist could return on September 1, expectations for his production should be tempered.
That being said, the Cubs brass needs to be aggressive before the MLB trade deadline. There is no waiver wire pickup this season, so the trade deadline will be the last call for the Cubs to make improvements to the current roster.
Next. When the nostalgia becomes the reality. dark
They have been linked to Diamondbacks’ David Peralta but should also consider veteran guys like Royals’ Alex Gordon, Blue Jays’ Eric Sogard or being really aggressive in a trade to acquire the services of Royals’ leadoff man, Whit Merrifield.