Winter Meetings 2012: Chicago Cubs Sign Nate Schierholtz to a One-Year Deal

The Chicago Cubs moved a step closer to the World Series tonight, signing OF Nate Schierholtz to a one-year, $2.25 million deal. The one-year deal also has some incentives worked in the contract, which aren’t known just yet.

At the start of the 2012 Winter Meetings, it was reported that Schierholtz had many suitors, including the New York Yankees, who were the favorites to sign the outfielder. This is why it’s kind of a surprise that Schierholtz was nabbed by the Cubbies on a one-year deal.

Cubs fans may be wondering: what does Schierholtz bring to the team in 2013? Honestly – – not a whole lot. The Cubs are still a year away from being competitive, as much as that pains my colleagues here at Rant Sports. There is no need for them to go buck wild and make some radical moves that could hurt the team’s future. Rome wasn’t built in one day, and the Cubs’ rebuild won’t be either.

One can assume Schierholtz will be a stopgap as the Cubs tinker with Brett Jackson’s swing, which is going over major overhaul, according to reports out of the winter meetings today. Schierholtz isn’t going to have a four-win season or anything like that, but it’s not out of the realm of possibilities – if given the at-bats – that he could produce a couple wins in the outfield.

Final verdict: As I’ve said earlier, there will never be a bad one-year signing, he could be a nice stopgap, and there are just too many issues for the Cubs to go for it this year.

Bryan is a featured writer for Rant Sports. Although he concentrates on MLB, you can see him covering a multitude of things across Rant Sports.