(Audacy) When first baseman Matt Mervis was deciding where to sign in 2020, his decision in part came down to a guess. Fortunately for him, it appears to have been the right one.
Mervis is one of the players who was in a unique situation, as he wasn't selected in the COVID-affected 2020 MLB Draft, which was only five rounds instead of 20. There were plenty of players who would've been scooped up had the draft been the traditional length, but there was a glut of talented prospects who became free agents because of the change.
Mervis' decision came down to two teams, the Cubs and the Yankees. At the time, the Yankees had Luke Voit at first base and under long-term team control. The Cubs had Anthony Rizzo playing first base, but his contract was set to expire after the 2021 season.
That made the Cubs a more appealing destination, Mervis said Tuesday on the Mully & Haugh Show.
“Those were my final two based on player development and left-handed power in the system," said Mervis, who made his MLB debut for the Cubs last Friday. "But really, it came down to if everything goes well for me, if I’m in the situation that I’m in now in two years, where do I think Anthony Rizzo will be? So I looked at his age and his contract, and the Yankees roster, really it was just a guess, but I guessed right and I got lucky.”
Coincidentally, of course, is that the Yankees ended up trading for Rizzo in 2021, and he’s been in New York since. Maybe the Cubs would've taken a different approach in 2021 if Mervis wasn't in the system, but it would've been a cruel twist of fate if he chose the Yankees, only to have Rizzo end up blocking him.
Instead, he’s now getting his first taste of the big leagues with Chicago.
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