Another versatile option for the Cubs? Evaluating Isiah Kiner-Falefa |
Dustin Riese
· · 17 hours ago
When the Cubs traded for Willi Castro at the deadline last season, the reasoning was to grab one of the better utility men in the game, capable of playing virtually every position. While that may be the case for most of his career, Castro was a liability at best with the Cubs, and by the time the season ended, this was one of those wasted trades that never should have happened.
That tends to happen across all sports, as you never know how a trade will pan out until the deal is done, and this is one of those deals that, if given a chance to do it over, they probably wouldn't make the deal. However, knowing how much versatility means to Craig Counsell and how much he values a versatile roster, a guy like Isiah Kiner-Falefa could fill the Castro role this season. Talk about the game in Chicago, as the Cubs already have a PCA, so why not add an IKF? In all seriousness, though, Kiner-Falefa is often viewed as one of the more valuable bench options in the game, and at the very worst, bringing him in would at least give the Cubs the player they expected Castro to be. The only significant difference was that Castro can play seven of the nine positions, whereas Kiner-Falefa is more of an infield specialist who can bounce around the infield. That isn't to say he can't play outfield if given the opportunity, but that isn't his strong suit, so that is something to consider. With Dansby Swanson and Nico Hoerner patrolling the middle of the infield, Kiner-Falefa would most likely see most of his time at third with an occasional spot start everywhere else. While his defensive versatility is what he will always be known for, the 31-year-old has put together some decent enough seasons at the plate, which is all you can ask for from a role player. Not a power guy by any means, Kiner-Falefa has posted a career slashline of .262/.311/.349/82 wRC+. The average alone is above league average, but he is also one of those rare players with reverse splits, meaning he hits righties better than lefties. Looking back at this season, you have a guy who split time between the Pirates and Blue Jays, appearing in 138 games in total. All but 19 of those games came with the Pirates, as he never panned out North of the border. On average, Kiner-Falefa was right on his career mark with a .262 average, adding two homers and 40 RBIs. That makes back-to-back 40 or more RBI seasons with him topping that mark in four of the last five seasons in total. Kiner-Falefa is also someone in search of his first double-digit homer season, as he has yet to top eight homers in any of his pro seasons. Don't expect that to change at Wrigley, but when you look at Jon Berti and Vidal Brujan from last season, he is an instant upgrade for the Cubs' bench. If you ask most Cubs fans, they would love for the team to make a run at Alex Bregman and or Eugenio Suarez to, at the very least, solve their third base issue for a short-term option. That may be a good thought in hindsight, but the Cubs don't operate that way, so look for them to put complete trust in Matt Shaw yet again, as they will give him every opportunity to prove his worth. Should Shaw prove he is a more developed and polished hitter this season, it will be a crisis averted at third base, as he would be the man for the job going forward. Should he continue to struggle offensively, adding a guy like Kiner-Falefa is a fine addition. He is a versatile defender who knows his role on a team and is one of those veteran bench guys that most teams need. Making a move like this isn't what you would say is a priority, so if the Cubs want to pursue him, don't expect anything to be done until we get closer to Spring Training. This is precisely the type of move that Jed Hoyer has grown to love in recent seasons, so even if Kiner-Falefa isn't in the cards, don't put it past Hoyer to sign a player with a similar skillset for the bench.
