Chicago Cubs: Why David Price makes so much sense in 2016

Although our attention remains very much focused on the NLCS, the Chicago Cubs could be big players this winter in free agency, which is always exciting.

The 2015 Major League Baseball season is far from over. Four teams are still left fighting to become the next World Champion of baseball. It’s arguably the most exciting time of the baseball season. But for 26 other teams, the baseball season is over and it’s almost time for arguably the most important part of the year: the offseason.

Now I know what you’re thinking, “Really? An offseason post? We’ve got an important series on our hands and we need to focus up!”

Trust me, I know.

But if you think about it, 26 other teams and fan blogs are already gaining an advantage on us in the offseason while we fight for a championship. And I simply won’t have that.

Since we are busy here at Cubbies Crib with playoff coverage though, I’ll limit this to one player. Possibly the most important player this offseason.

You know him, I know him, even if you only read the headline you know him. David Price should be the main priority for the Cubs this offseason and it’s pretty hard to make a case that any one piece could change a franchise more than this stellar southpaw.

I mean why not Price? The seventh-year man out of Vanderbilt is 104-56 for his big league career with a 3.09 ERA. He led the American League in wins (20) and earned run average (2.56) in 2012 and in ERA again in 2015. Price has been on a journey the last few years as he went from struggling Tampa Bay to playoff-bound Detroit in 2014 and then from struggling Detroit to playoff-bound Toronto earlier this year. Let’s start with why this makes sense.

The Cubs need another pitcher. That’s not even a debatable question at this point. It’s not a desperate need, but it’s one that should be addressed. It’s safe to say, barring any extreme moves this offseason, that four of the Cubs starters are decided on heading into 2015.

It’s unlikely Travis Wood gets promoted back to starter, and personally I believe they want more than a Tsuyoshi Wada or a Dallas Beeler to round out the rotation. There are lots of other reasonable options in the free agency class this year but when you’re the Chicago Cubs and you have the young core of position players we have, why not?

Not to mention the link between Price and manager Joe Maddon, who was Price’s skipper from 2008 until 2014 in Tampa Bay. He already seems to like tweeting with the Cubs:

Now it would be awesome if we could get Price just like that, but a lot of things have to fall the Cubs’ way for that to happen. First of all, Price has to decide not to re-sign with the Toronto Blue Jays. While it seems like he will undoubtedly hit the market after being forcibly moved to Toronto in a trade, don’t be so sure. Price, and his dog Astro, seem to be liking their view from the six:

The Cubs also have their own housekeeping to take care of, in re-signing Jake Arrieta. We all know that isn’t going to be cheap. And neither is David Price. Most likely the two sides will start at Max Scherzer numbers, seven years and $22 million a year, and work it out from there – possibly heading north of that mark.

According to Spotrac, the Cubs currently have a payroll of $133 million which is good for 11th-highest in the Major Leagues. That’s a lot of cheese, but it’s nowhere near the Dodgers’ $314 million payroll. With all this playoff money coming in the Cubs can be flexible, but the Ricketts have not been put into a situation like this yet as owners. No one’s really sure how far they’ll let Theo and Jed go.

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• Justin Steele has evolved into a frontline starter for the Cubs
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It should also be stated that Price only has two career hits in his 39 plate appearances. On the bright side, he also took two walks. Last year’s big signing Jon Lester had the same question coming in, so it may be a nonissue for Theo’s team. 

Rising Apple

I believe that the Cubs should in fact let Theo and Jed loose and go after David Price. The connections are there, and at this point in his career, Price wants to win a championship. The hard part is arguing why Chicago is going to assure him a better chance than any other team.

We all know why, but it’s up to Theo & Co. to work their magic again and secure us another big name pitcher. The threat of a three-headed pitching monster including Price, Lester and Arrieta is the stuff of dreams for Cubs fans. And then to go and back it up with Bryant, Schwarber and Rizzo in the lineup is unthinkable.

I’m begging you Theo, please bring David Price to Chicago. This hungry Cubs fan loves what you’ve assembled, and it’d be a shame if you got complacent now. 

Next: Chicago Cubs should still feel confident heading into Game 3