Eureka's Ben Zobrist could return to the Chicago Cubs in a baseball operations role

The Chicago Cubs are seeking a fresh perspective in the front office next season.

That could include a name very familiar to those in the Peoria area: Ben Zobrist.

The Eureka native and member of the Cubs’ 2016 championship team is a team ambassador. Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer told The Associated Press he would like to see Zobrist play a larger role on the baseball side.

“There’s a lot of value to having him around,” Hoyer said. “We haven’t talked about him in a specific role, but I’d love to have him in spring training and have him around the guys. It is a perspective and a career, a work ethic that’s unique.”

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Zobrist last played for the Cubs in 2019 and has yet to officially announce his retirement from baseball, but he came back to visit the team multiple times this season. He stepped away from the Cubs while attempting to repair his marriage with Julianna Zobrist, whom he has since divorced.

The 41-year-old was all smiles during a June game as he waved to the afternoon crowd, who delivered a rousing ovation for the man whose RBI double gave the Cubs the lead in Game 7 of their 2016 World Series victory. He also was part of the Field of Dreams game in Iowa.

“I’ve talked to him a couple times this summer,” Hoyer told Marquee Sports Network. “He’s done some work for the business side — some alumni-type stuff.”

Zobrist played 14 years in the majors with the Cubs, Tampa Bay, Oakland and Kansas City, where he was part of the 2015 World Series champions. The versatile Zobrist played at least 200 games at four different positions (second base, shortstop, right field, left field), according to Marquee.

Background:A ruling has been made in the Julianna and Ben Zobrist divorce case

“His versatility gives him a really fresh perspective,” Hoyer said. “He was a little bit of an older prospect, a little more self-made than some guys. And then he was a switch-hitter. I don’t think the game came as easy to him as some. He really grinded; he prepared unbelievably well."

Cubs manager David Ross told Marquee that the team loves having Zobrist in the mix.

“We love him around,” David Ross said. “I don’t know what his official title is. I know everybody likes having him around. He’s making decisions to be around more, I think — the little bit I know about it. I don’t get into too much of a job description when I’m around him. I talk about how he’s doing personally.”

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: MLB: Cubs exploring bringing back Ben Zobrist in operations role