Looking ahead with Jed Hoyer to the 2022 Chicago Cubs

Sergio Alcantara and Michael Hermosillo

Alcantara and Hermosillo are a couple of unheralded off-season pickups who got a chance as an offshoot of the trade deadline deals. Alcantara, a waiver wire pickup from the Tigers, has filled in for Javier Baez at shortstop while Hermosillo, a free agent signee, has seen time in the outfield.

At this stage, neither has done enough to solidify their status as anything more than spring camp invitees at most. Alcantara is batting just .213 with no power since Aug. 1. Under extreme circumstances, those numbers could be acceptable at shortstop. But the Chicago Cubs are expected to turn to Nico Hoerner at short next spring…unless, of course, they decide to take a plunge into the very deep free agent market at that position.

Neither approach is favorable to Alcantara.

Hermosillo simply hasn’t shown anything worth getting worked up about. Since emerging Aug. 17, he’s batting .194 with a low on base average. He has shown some power; three home runs and a .500 slugging average in that limited duty.

So the Cubs might be tempted to give Hermosillo an opportunity in spring camp. But given that they are contractually tied to Heyward in right and that Ortega looks set for the short term in center, Hermosillo’s best hope is that the team dumps Happ in November. If Happ stays, that’s a bad sign for Hermosillo’s playing prospects.