Cubs Sign Jon Jay

The Cubs’ first move of the offseason has happened:

I suppose this likely means the Cubs are moving on from Dexter Fowler, which makes me a bit sad.

Jon Jay spent six years with the Cardinals before being traded to the Padres last offseason for Jedd Gyorko. Jay broke his forearm in June and missed more than two months of the 2016 season before returning to action in September. Overall he hit .291/.339/.389 in 90 games, with 347 at-bats, for San Diego. He hit two home runs. Defensively he’s generally been a decent, not great, outfielder. The Cubs press release on the signing points out:

The left-handed batter and thrower owns a career .996 fielding percentage in center field, the highest mark for any active player (minimum 500 games) at the position. In his career, Jay has played 594 games in center field, 166 games in right field and 80 games in left field, totaling a .995 fielding percentage at all three positions, tying Jacoby Ellsbury for the best mark among active outfielders.

Since Jay is a lefthanded hitter, could the Cubs be looking to platoon him in center field with Albert Almora Jr.? He’s hit a bit better career-wise vs. RHP (.746 OPS) than vs. LHP (.707 OPS).

It’s a one-year deal, so the Cubs aren’t committing anything long-term to Jay, and perhaps this is just as a backup, and they might still re-sign Fowler. Jay will turn 32 next March. The Cubs' 40-man roster now stands at 38.

Your turn to weigh in.