Potential Cubs Offseason moves

A look at the offseason agenda for the Cubs as they chase the eternal goal of a World Series.

As disappointed as Cubs fan were with the lackluster showing in the NLCS, a pervading optimism colors their collective mood as they look forward to next year. This year’s Cubs were ahead of schedule – partly due to a fantastic showing from the young talent, partly because of a shrewd offseason by Epstein and Co.— maximizing talent with the money available to them. Montero, Ross, Fowler, Lester, Hammel (and the fortuitous availability of Madden) all addressed a need on a young team with a culture of losing. While the chemistry of this team was beautiful to behold, change is inevitable in major league sports. Here’s a few moves the Cubs could/should make to send the team one step closer to that ever elusive dream.

Extend a qualifying offer to Dexter Fowler, but do not overpay for him.

Fowler was an excellent leadoff hitter with exceptional power and base-stealing ability, and was most definitively an upgrade over previous leadoff men/centerfielders the cubs have had. His on base percentage was acceptable, though his average was a little lower than ideal. While showing decent range, he was merely an adequate defender. An excellent clubhouse presence, Fowler would be worth bringing back – at the right price. If he wants more – which he is certainly deserving of – take your compensatory pick and draft a young arm. Overpaying for Fowler at this stage in his career – i.e. approaching the climax, nearing the eventual descent—would not be a wise move for a team built to contend for the next decade with glaring holes in other areas. If you’re going to overpay for an outfielder, overpay for Jason Heyward. A plus defender that can play right and center (and probably left, if you needed him to), he has a cannon (as Anthony Rizzo learned on the day of Yadier Molina’s thumb injury), impressive base-stealing ability, a high-average, and power that would translate well to Wrigley. Add in the fact that he’s been a certified Cub Killer since his very first at bat (A 3-run Homer off of Zambrano Opening Day 2010) and the Cubs would be prying him away from the division rival Cardinals, make him an incredibly enticing move. Alex Gordon, an excellent defender with contact skills that the Cubs lacked this past season (and now a World Series ring) is also a possibility, perhaps at a more affordable cost. Re-signing Austin Jackson would provide solid depth while minor leaguers Albert Almora and Ian Happ mature in the minors, and blue-chip international prospect Eddy Julio Martinez looks like he has (sort of) officially been signed.

Sign a front line starter…or two

It is a glorious buffet of starting pitching available this year, headlined by big names such as Greinke (presumably), Cueto, Zimmerman and Price. With a back end the rotation that proved shaky, the Cubs have made it clear adding a starting arm is a priority. They’ve long been linked to Price as an aggressive suitor due to his ties to Joe Madden, while more recently they’ve been linked to John Lackey (ties to the Epstein administration through Boston). Signing Price, while undoubtedly costly, would instantly make the Cubs a dynamic pitching team, giving them three pitchers who can genuinely lay claim to the title “ace”, which become invaluable in the condensed crunch time of the post-season. With an uncertain market (what will LA’s move be next after another disappointing post-season? Will the Yankees move on from Sabathia, and how much do they trust Tanaka’s shoulder?), the Cubs can hopefully nab one of these big name pitchers.
Signing a pitcher from the next tier (or two, should they be outbid) might be an ever shrewder mover. Maybe a more affordable Jeff Samardzjia wants to come back to the fold after a shaky season across town to rediscover consistency under pitching coach Chris Bosio, without the pressure of having to be THE guy on the Cubs. Gallardo and Kazmir are also intriguing options that would command much more interest were it not a year with such a glut of talented arms.

Package some combination of Montero, Baez, Castro, and Hammel

This one is a gamble. The Cubs could easily stand pat here and still flourish, but Epstein gets paid to make tough decisions like this. With Russel showing promising growth at the plate and an insanely polished defensive game for someone so young, it makes sense to move either Castro or Baez (though the depth up the middle is also nice to have). Castro’s late season resurgence and innate contact ability make him a more attractive quantity to keep on a Cubs team that has a lot of players with Baez’s power and swing-and-miss abilities, but his team friendly contract could make him more attractive to other teams as well. Montero signed a lucrative deal and performed more or less as expected, but it now part of a 3-headed catcher tandem with Schwarber and the invaluable Ross (with minor leaguer Willson Contreras on the horizon after a breakout season). An attractive package of three of those four could net the Cubs young, cost-controlled pitching (think Carlos Carrasco or Tyson Ross) and perhaps an intriguing prospect or two to re-stock the pipeline.

Waiting til next year suddenly doesn’t seem so bleak.