The Cubs and outfielder Travis Jankowski have agreed to a deal, reports Ari Alexander of KPRC 2. The details of the deal for the Excel Sports Management client haven’t been publicly reported yet. If it’s a major league deal, the Cubs would have to open a 40-man roster spot. If it’s a minor league pact, the veteran will presumably receive an invite to spring training.
Jankowski, 34 in June, has a decade of big league experience at this point. He provides value via his speed and strong defensive skills but his bat has been inconsistent. The oscillating offense has led to swings in his contributions over the years. He has spent the past two seasons with the Rangers and his numbers in those two campaigns provide a microcosm of his overall track record.
After a rough 2022 season, he had to settle for a minor league pact with the Rangers going into 2023. He ended up getting an Opening Day roster spot and appeared in 107 games for Texas that year. He drew a walk in 12.2% of his plate appearances and only struck out 14.6% of the time. His .263/.357/.332 batting line translated to a 97 wRC+. That means his offense was 3% below average overall but he stole 19 bases and got strong reviews for his glovework. He then got into seven postseason games as the Rangers won their first World Series.
They brought him back via a one-year deal with a $1.7MM guarantee for 2024, but the pendulum swung the other way. His strikeout rate climbed to 21.3% as his walk rate fell to 5.8%. He produced a dismal line of .200/.266/.242 last year, leading to a 48 wRC+. He did swipe another 11 bags and run the ball down in the field again, but the decline at the plate put a big dent in his value. FanGraphs considered him to be worth 1.2 wins above replacement in 2023 but negative 0.3 fWAR last year.
Dating back to his 2015 debut, Jankowski has appeared in 681 big league games with a combined .236/.319/.305 line and 77 wRC+. He has 102 stolen bases in 127 attempts. He has racked up 30 Defensive Runs Saved and 33 Outs Above Average in his career.
The Cubs project to have an outfield consisting of Pete Crow-Armstrong in center, flanked by Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker in the corners. Seiya Suzuki figures to be the regular designated hitter, but seeing some outfield time on occasion as well. Jon Berti and Vidal Bruján are candidates for bench/utility roles.
Bringing in Jankowski is likely a move to bolster the center field depth. Crow-Armstrong won’t celebrate his 23rd birthday until next month. He’s a great defender but has been a subpar hitter in the majors thus far. Happ and Tucker have some good numbers in the corners but would be stretched up the middle. Happ hasn’t played there since 2022 and logged just 12 innings there that year. Tucker has just 29 career innings in center and none since 2021. Berti and Bruján are primarily infielders who can be pushed into outfield work on occasion.
That leaves the inexperienced Crow-Armstrong without much support up the middle. Kevin Alcántara and Owen Caissie are on the 40-man roster but likely to be getting regular playing time in Triple-A, as opposed to sitting on the big league bench.
Jankowski has 1,629 1/3 career innings in center with +8 DRS and +14 OAA. If he is added to the big league roster, he can serve as a fourth/fifth outfielder for the Cubs. The team knows it’s likely to get competent glovework, as well as the ability to have him pinch run from time to time, with the offense being a wild card.
The bench currently projects to have catcher Carson Kelly, infielder/DH Justin Turner, Berti and Bruján. No one in that group can be optioned. If Jankowski is to be added to the big league roster, whether that’s now or later, a spot would have to be opened up somehow.
