Infielder Jonathan Villar has agreed to a one-year, $6 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, pending a physical, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The deal also includes a mutual option for 2023 as well as performance bonuses. The club has not confirmed.
One of Villar’s calling cards is his versatility. The 30-year-old is a switch-hitter who has produced virtually no platoon split over the course of his career (.733 OPS against lefties, .727 against righties). He also has extensive experience at shortstop (390 career starts), second base (308) and third base (134), while dabbling in the outfield as well. In 2021 with the Mets, Villar spent the majority of his time at the hot corner but also played both middle-infield spots.
Baserunning has been another highlight of Villar’s nine-year career, which he has split between six teams. His 232 stolen bases puts him eighth among players who were still active in 2021. Villar led the Majors with 62 steals in 2016 and averaged 33 over the following three seasons. However, his 14 swipes (in 21 attempts) in 2021 were even fewer than he had in the pandemic-shortened ‘20 campaign (16).
Interestingly, Villar has piled up the steals without being an elite burner. His sprint speed has never ranked higher than the 77th percentile in a season since Statcast began tracking in 2015, although there has been a noticeable drop-off over the past two years. Villar averaged 28.0 ft/sec in 2019 (73rd percentile) but 27.3 ft/sec in ‘21 (57th).
Villar also offers notable pop at the plate. He has reached double digits in homers in each of the past five full seasons (excluding 2020), averaging 17 in that span. The Dominican Republic native hit a career-high 24 big flies for the 2019 Orioles and added 18 for last year’s Mets, while batting .249/.322/.416 (102 OPS+) over 142 games.