Chicago Cubs Reportedly 'Showing Serious Interest' in Resurgent Infielder

The Chicago Cubs seem to be interested in adding another infielder to the mix.

Jun 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Seattle Mariners third baseman Josh Rojas (4) throws to first base in the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field / David Richard-Imagn Images

The Chicago Cubs are trying to figure out how their roster will look on Opening Day.

They're still interested in adding another arm, potentially one who boosts the rotation or bullpen, something that would change how those units look in 2025 with the latter being the weak spot of this organization the past two years.

But, following their acquisition of Kyle Tucker that creates a high-upside outfield group, third base is now the glaring question mark with Isaac Paredes shipped out of town.

It feels like their top prospect, Matt Shaw, is going to take over that position, and while he's going to have a chance to earn it in Spring Training and will eventually be manning the hot corner in an everyday role, that might not come immediately in 2025.

The Cubs acquired super utility man Vidal Brujan who could take over at third when needed, but the latest report from Mark Feinsand of MLB.com suggests they are looking to fortify the infield group even further.

The Cubs are among the teams showing serious interest in INF Josh Rojas, per source. Rojas had a 2.2 bWAR in 142 games for the Mariners last season, starting 106 games at 3B. He has started mostly at 2B and 3B during his career, but can also play SS and both corner OF spots.

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 30, 2024

That's pretty surprising on the surface.

Josh Rojas had a resurgent showing this year with the Seattle Mariners after he was sent there ahead of the trade deadline in 2023.

His 2.2 bWAR was largely from the strength of his defense, wracking up a 1.2 defensive bWAR, being worth six Outs Above Average at third base and two OAA at second per Baseball Savant.

Rojas slashed just .225/.304/.336 with eight homers, 29 extra-base hits, 31 RBI and an OPS+ of 91, so he wouldn't provide much in that aspect, but because Chicago values infield defense, signing him to a deal is certainly something that fits their ethos.

Spotrac puts his market value at $9.7 million and projects him to get a two-year, roughly $19.4 million deal this winter.

If that's what he's looking for, he might be too expensive for the Cubs based on them already having options they can turn to throughout the season, but with their newfound money following the trade of Cody Bellinger, they could opt to spend it on an elite defender like Rojas.