With spring training rolling right along for the Chicago Cubs, the team is getting closer to the start of the regular season.

Coming into the winter, the Cubs were on a mission to get better this offseason. By all accounts, they have been able to accomplish that with a plethora of moves, most of which were trades.

Now, while improving on paper is good, the team will have to prove what they can do on the field.

Despite the team looking strong overall, they did miss out on one potential upgrade. Chicago was right in the mix for free agent Alex Bregman before he signed with the Boston Red Sox.

The former All-Star would have been a strong addition to the team at a position that is somewhat of a need.

Currently, top prospect Matt Shaw is slated to be the starting third baseman going into the season. The talented slugger is certainly deserving of getting the chance, but he has never played in the Majors.

Considering this is such an important year to win with the contract situation of a couple of top players, it is risky to start a rookie at the hot corner. Since the team pursued Bregman, they still might be looking for some help or insurance at the position.

Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report recently wrote about New York Mets third baseman Brett Bat as, potentially, a player who might be moved at some point this year. Also, he highlighted the Cubs as a team that makes a lot of sense for him.

Baty is certainly an interesting player to keep an eye on for the Mets. Due to the emergence of Mark Vientos and the team re-signing Pete Alonso, there isn’t anywhere for him to play every day for New York.

The former first-round pick has gotten a good amount of opportunities with the Mets, but the results have been mixed in the Majors. With New York, he has slashed .215 /.282/.325 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI in 169 games.

Offensively, the numbers aren’t great with just over a season of sample size. However, he has performed well in the minors.

This spring, the numbers are really impressive for the left-handed slugger, with him slashing .538/.571/1.077 with two home runs.

There is certainly some potential there for Baty, and he could make sense as a backup plan in case Shaw doesn’t hit the ground running in his rookie season.

The strong spring is a good indication that he might be finally starting to figure it out at 25 years old, and he makes sense as an insurance option for Chicago at the hot corner.