The Cubs are following through on adding experience to their bench, which was one of two remaining offseason focuses, along with the bullpen, that president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer outlined at Cubs Convention last weekend.
They agreed to contract terms with veteran infielder Jon Berti, according to multiple reports Wednesday. The one-year deal is worth $2 million guaranteed with up to $1.3 million in incentives, MLB.com reported. It would be pending a physical.
Berti, who turned 35 on Wednesday, made the most out of 25 appearances with the Yankees last year. He hit .273, which would have been good for the fifth-best batting average on the Cubs, tied with Nico Hoerner.
Berti saw more regular playing time with the Marlins the previous two years, batting .294 in 2023 and leading MLB with 41 stolen bases in 2022.
He’s played mostly middle infield and third base in seven major-league seasons but also has significant experience in the outfield.
“When we have injuries, we’ll plug in a Top-100 prospect in most positions, which I feel great about,” Hoyer said last weekend. “But as far as building a bench, you have to look at guys that have done that in the past, or more veteran guys.”
Of the seven Cubs prospects who made MLB Pipeline’s Top-100 last year, six are position players. Matt Shaw is expected to compete for the starting third base role out of spring training. The Cubs’ outfield is more crowded, but Kevin Alcántara and Owen Caissie are on the 40-man roster. Catcher Moises Ballasteros, utility player James Triantos and shortstop Jefferson Rojas round out the group. All but Rojas, 19, reached at least Triple-A last year.
As evident in the way the Cubs handled center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong’s 2024 rookie season, the team sees value in having developing top prospects rack up minor-league at-bats when there isn’t an avenue for regular playing time at the major-league level.
“And that’s a balance, because you don’t want to gum-up the 40-man roster and not have opportunities for young guys,” Hoyer said, “but at the same time, you also don’t want them sitting on the bench.”