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It looks like one of the strategies used by the Cubs this offseason is signing as many players as possible to minor league deals and hope a few work out no matter how bad they’ve been up to this point in their careers. These obviously aren’t ground breaking deals, but the Cubs really are digging deep for that extra minor league depth.
Even other players they’ve signed have had decent numbers in the minors, or have put up decent stretches in the majors, but have been limited because of previous injuries. Yet, infielder Christhian Adames and right-handed pitcher Christian Bergman, the latest signings by the Cubs, don’t seem to have much to offer other than just being bodies down in the minors.
Adames is 27-years-old and played in 166 games for the Rockies between 2014-17, getting the most playing time in 2016. He had 225 at-bats that season and had a slash line of .218/.304/.302. He has a .561 career OPS in 306 at-bats. In 2018, Adames nearly had 500 plate appearances at Triple-A, and only slashed .269/.324/.370.
Bergman also used to be with the Rockies, making 15 starts and 55 total appearances from 2014-16. The righty then made 10 more starts and 16 appearances with the Mariners the past two years combined. Overall, Bergman has a 5.59 ERA and 1.47 WHIP in 215.2 innings in the majors.
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Last year, Bergman threw 141.2 innings at Triple-A, and he had a 5.08 ERA in 25 starts and one bullpen outing.
If you see either of these former Rockies appear in a meaningful situation or game for the Cubs in 2019, then a lot of things went horribly wrong.
