The Chicago Cubs have added an intriguing bat to the equation.
The player: Tyler Austin. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported the news on Thursday afternoon as a new free agent signing.
Why's he intriguing? Well:
- Austin was a strong prospect for the New York Yankees with plenty of power.
- He has played for Team USA in the Olympics.
- For the last five seasons, Austin has slugged in Japan, with a.945 OPS.
Now, he's the newest member of the Chicago Cubs.
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Austin's signing is interesting for how he may fit into the picture in Chicago.
The Cubs have a left-handed hitting first baseman in Michael Busch, so Austin could be viewed as a platoon partner with him.
He also has MLB experience playing corner outfield spots, so maybe the Cubs view him as at least a partial replacement for Kyle Tucker.
The DH spot is in both leagues, now, so there'd be plenty of merit to letting Austin prove himself back in the majors in that spot, too.
It's interesting to see Austin coming back, mostly because his name didn't really come up in offseason discussions at all up to this point.
The Cubs clearly knew he was interested in a return stateside, and they took advantage. Now it's up to Austin to prove he belongs.
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