Cubs sign utility man Jaylen Palmer

Photo courtesy: MLB

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 4 hours ago

While the Cubs are gearing up for their contest with the San Diego Padres, hoping to move to 5-0, the front office remains hard at work as they look to add as much depth as possible. As much as the fans would like to see some additional Major League depth heading into the season, barring any significant injuries, the roster they see is the one most likely headed to Japan in a few weeks.

Despite that, Jed Hoyer and company have no issues stockpiling their organization with minor league-caliber players, and the addition of Jaylen Palmer is a prime example of that, as he and the Cubs reached an agreement on Monday. The 2018 draft pick, who spent most of his career with the New York Mets organization, is known for his utility-type play and perfectly complements what this organization stands for.

Most importantly, he is still 24 years old, and there is the possibility that he will figure out the type of player he is. When you think of utility players, Ben Zobrist comes to mind as a player who can play any position on the diamond that you ask him to. Palmer is that type of player, as he has played every position apart from catcher and shortstop the past few seasons and has seen significant time at each of the positions he has played.

Palmer is known for having some pop in his bat, indicated by his 48 homers and 188 RBIs. He has also shown plus speed and has registered 100 career stolen bases at the minor league level. His 2024 campaign saw his power numbers increase to 12 homers while stealing 12 bases. The 12 homers came in just 287 at-bats, which shows he has 20-plus homer potential should he register enough plate appearances.

For that to happen, he needs to take care of the two most significant weaknesses in his game: his average and the egregious strikeout rate he has accumulated thus far. Not only is he just a career .216 hitter, which won't get it done at the professional level, but Palmer has also struck out close to 40% of the time. Put that into perspective with Patrick Wisdom and Javier Baez, who were around 36% during their time with the Cubs, and that alone is a massive cause for concern.

Any time you have a strikeout rate that high, it's nearly impossible to have any long-term success as you aren't getting on base enough to have success. However, when he does get on base, you can see his potential as a player, and given his age, he is too young to give up on just yet. Even if his offensive numbers aren't great, Palmer is a great athlete with good speed and the power and potential to produce in any lineup.

Mix that with the ability to play above-average defense at several positions, and he is a player that many teams would take a chance on. The Mets gave him plenty of chances to show what he could do, and after getting to AA and a small taste of AAA, Palmer appeared to max out in their system, and there wasn't a future for him in Queens.

This is one of those classic situations where a change of scenery could do a player good, and the Cubs are hoping that a change of scenery with their AA or AAA club could be what Palmer needs to break through. This has a similar vibe to when Matt Mervis broke out with the Cubs in 2022, but in this case, don't count on a break-out season just yet.

Instead, given his talent level, he could be in a position to finally see time on the field consistently, which will automatically yield better results. One of the things we are hoping to cash in on is his overall contact skills and patient approach at the plate.

Yes, the strikeout numbers are high, but they are also a bit deceiving, considering Palmer has a very patient approach at the plate. He may be too patient at times, putting him in a must-swing situation, which is when many whiffs happen. On the flip side, a lot is hard contact when he makes contact, which is a promising sign for any young hitter.

The Cubs will have a lot of work to do with Palmer, but they hope they can find a happy medium with his approach. While removing his patience to become a more aggressive hitter may not be the answer, forcing him to swing earlier in the count if the pitch is there could be what he needs to break out as a player.