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Cubs free agent target: Josh Hader

Sometimes in baseball, if you can’t beat him, let him join you.

I am reminded of the long-ago Cubs signing of Richie Hebner. In his years with the Pirates and Phillies, Hebner was a Cub-killer. In his career, Hebner hit .331/.391/.547 with 30 home runs in 185 games against the Cubs, far better than his marks against any other team.

The Cubs signed him as a free agent before the 1984 season. While he was 36 and a part-time player by then, Hebner hit .333/.407/.444 for the Cubs that year, though in only 44 games. An injury forced him out for a couple of months and when he returned in September, all he did was pinch hit, and he had just two plate appearances in the NLCS.