Kim Klement – USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Cubs are in some dire need of help at 3rd base. For anyone who watched the first games of the World Baseball Classic, you know where I am going. The standout player so far has been Leonardo Reginatto who plays 3rd base for Brazil. Reginatto is currently in the Tampa Bay Rays Minor League system. Last year he played 65 games for the Hudson Valley Renegades in the New York Penn League (short-season A). While Reginatto hit .276 with only one home run and did not put up impressive stats, he has clearly come into his own and is ready to make headlines in the 2013 season.
The Rays have Evan Longoria at 3rd for the foreseeable future. So why not trade away a young prospect that they probably won’t use at the big league level? The Rays don’t even have Reginatto as one of their top 20 prospects. The Cubs have some young prospects that every team has their eye on. Javier Baez is a shortstop that has tremendous potential, but he is behind Starlin Castro who looks to be the Cubs shortstop for at least the next 10 years.
The Cubs’ front office needs to get creative to solve the problems at 3rd. Reginatto looked good last night, and for a Minor League player, he won’t find a bigger stage to play on then the World Baseball Classic against the two-time champions. Reginatto may need more time to develop his skills, but the Cubs have a hole at 3rd and some young talent would be an exciting way for them to fill it.
By Reid Lester
