There are a few reports that link Torii Hunter to the Cubs out there.
A number of teams have expressed preliminary interest in Torii Hunter, including #Royals, #Twins, #Cubs, #Rangers, #SFGiants, #Mariners…
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) November 10, 2014
I’m not sure how I feel about that. Looking into Torii Hunter a little bit, I came across two interesting points:
1) Torii Hunter is a slam-dunk, no-doubt member of the HOVG. He really has had an incredible career. Over 50 bWAR! 11 straight seasons of 105 OPS+ or better, with over 500 PA in 10 of those years! In fact, over the past 10 years, he’s been worth an average of 3.4 wins a season. That really is remarkable. In fact, he’s been the 24th most valuable positional player over the past decade. First-ballot HOVG stuff.
2) Hunter can’t play defense anymore. While Hunter’s been overrated defensively his entire career, he used to be quite good at it. Now, he plays a suspect corner and CF is an impossibility. His speed, once an asset, is not a liability. He’d require an incredible CF to cover for his poor range, and he’s never had a strong arm.
The Cubs have a budding young centerfielder in Alcantara, but he’s not terribly quick. He has above-average speed, but he’s new to the position and still learning. His arm is more of a weapon than his feet anyway. Putting it all together, putting Hunter in left field gives a lot away defensively.
The Cubs can minimize this by striking out a lot of pitchers and keeping the ball down, two things they do well. In some respects, the team and field are built to help cover for poor left fielders. Still, it puts the onus on Hunter’s bat to provide all of his value.
Torii has been extremely consistent over the course of his career. His HR totals have gradually eroded from the low 30s/high 20s to the middle 10s he gives these days. Still, it’s been a graceful, relatively flat decline. Some of those HR turned into doubles, and the natural doubles turned to natural singles, and that trend will continue. Still, it doesn’t seem like to much to ask that Hunter hit .270/.310/.410. The league average at RF last year was .255/.318/.397, so Hunter has a little more pop, a little more base movement, and a little less “get-on-base” ability.
I think Hunter has the tools to be a league-average RF in 2015, which should be his last or next-to-last season with any utility. As it turns out, a short-term commitment to a RF that provides league-average value is basically exactly what the Cubs are looking for. I think a 1-year pact for $7-8 MM is perfectly reasonable for Hunter. I could see a 1 year, $7 MM with a team option for $7 MM next year ($1 million buyout) as a contract amenable to both sides. Given the amount of interest Hunter has received, he pay well end up with more than that in the end, but at a number like 7 or 8 million, I hope the Cubs do get involved.