Roster Move: Cubs sign veteran outfielder Travis Jankowski

Tim Heitman - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 7 hours ago

The Chicago Cubs couldn't have asked for a much better start to their Spring. Not only have they started things 2-0 with back-to-back victories against the Dodgers, but the way they have won stands out, with the Cubs dominating the Dodgers in every fashion.

Despite all the good things happening, there has been some bad news this week as more players have been added to a growing list of injured players. The most recent one was top outfield prospect Owen Caissie, who is dealing with some groin soreness after undergoing core surgery in the offseason.

Throw in Alexander Canario getting designated for assignment on Thursday, and the Cubs outfield depth will be tested over the next few weeks. Knowing that Jed Hoyer went about his business and signed not one, but two players to minor league deals as he continues to stockpile his organization with depth pieces.

The first of those signings was former New York Yankee speedster Greg Allen, while the second one is a whole lot more intriguing: Travis Jankowski. One of the more traveled players in today's game, the 33-year-old Jankowski has been a solid role player everywhere he has gone. Although the terms of his deal with the Cubs haven't been made official, it does seem like this will be a minor-league deal with an invite to camp.

Whether it's a minor league deal or not, Jankowski will have plenty of chances this Spring, and the more chances he gets, the more likely he will earn a spot on this roster as the team's fourth outfielder. Like Allen, Jankowski is not much of a hitter, although he has had some solid offensive seasons when he was a starter.

Instead, he is another player with a ton of speed and is a great defender who bodes perfectly for late-game substitutions and defensive switches. Jankowski has spent the past two seasons with the Rangers and is coming off a season where he offered next to nothing offensively. Across 104 games in 2024, Jankowski hit just .200 for the season with one homer and 12 RBIs. He did, however, steal 12 bases, but it was an overall rough season.

The same can't be said about his 2023 campaign, as Jankowski had a solid season and one of the best seasons of his career, top to bottom. Not only did he hit .263 across 107 games, but he did that while adding one homer and 30 RBIs. Jankowski also stole 19 bases in 20 tries and walked (35) nearly as many times as he struck out (42).

The difference over the past two seasons has to be highly concerning, but at the very least, 2023 is proof that he still has a lot to offer an organization in some capacity. When you look at the Cubs roster and how it's constructed, there is no shortage of depth on this team, but some areas have more depth than others.

What was once seen as the deepest position on the team, being the outfield, is suddenly hurting for depth as they have lost two players in as many days. Granted, one of those players should be back sooner rather than later, but the Cubs still needed to find a way to add more depth to the outfield and did so with this signing.

Let's be honest with ourselves for a minute. If the Cubs are counting on Jankowski, Vidal Brujan, or Allen for depth purposes this season, then this team is in way more trouble than anyone realized. Sure, Jankowski is one of those players who may have a role on this team, but you don't want him to have too big of a role.

He is what you would consider an emergency depth piece, but one who knows his role within an organization and knows what he is good at. His defense will give him an opportunity this season and if it comes down to Brujan or Jankowski for the final bench spot out of camp, don't be surprised to see Jankowski earn the job.