Chicago Cubs News: Strop extended; Next ‘hidden gem’ in Mesa?

 The Chicago Cubs locked up a piece of their bullpen for an extra year signing Pedro Strop to an extension through 2018, with a team option for 2019. And did we mention Cubs baseball starts today??

The Chicago Cubs and Pedro Strop agreed to an extension through 2018 with a team option for 2019. The deal will keep the talented reliever in Chicago for at least two more years. Strop has seen most of his time as a set-up man but said he loved the city and wanted to stay, regardless of what his role was. But does his extension have any bearing or give any inclination what the Cubs might do with Jake Arrieta?

Arrieta and Strop came to the Cubs in the same deal. One that has turned out to be one of the most lopsided in team history. As Arrieta prepares for what could be his final year in Chicago, could the team be looking at finding the next Jake? They’ve made a habit of turning reclamation projects into successful pitchers so there’s no reason to think it can’t happen again.

Bleacher Report released a Top 100 Players at the start of Spring Training. It was filled with Cubs, and most of the rankings seemed in line with what you might expect. But even when most of your starting nine is on the list, there’s still bound to be a few players who get snubbed. We took a look at where the Cubs ranked and gave our opinions on where they sat on the list.

These and other stories you might have missed:

‘Cubs extend Strop through 2018’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Lineups for today’s games set’ – Cubbies Crib

‘Is the next hidden gem already out in Mesa? – Cubbies Crib

‘Better than Cespedes? Cuban wows the scouts’ – MLB.com

‘Cubs fill the B/R Top 100 Players at the start of Spring Training’ – Cubbies Crib

#Cubs on Twitter

https://twitter.com/ishgotswagg/status/835497001999552512

We’ll have plenty more Cubs news today, with recaps from both Spring Training games as well as other news and analysis. And be sure to like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @CubbiesCrib!