Chicago Cubs: Money issues may result in club missing out on key targets

With the Detroit Tigers finding themselves their next star rotation man by signing former Washington Nationals hurler Jordan Zimmermann, the Chicago Cubs are hoping to do the same. But will they be able to afford it?

For awhile now, they’ve been rumored to be the front-runner for veteran southpaw and A.L. Cy Young runner-up, David Price who helped lead the Toronto Blue Jays to the American League Championship Series.

Reuniting both Price and former skipper Joe Maddon on the North Side of Chicago started at the beginning of the year when the Tigers failed to sign the 30-year-old to a long-term deal.

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He was later traded to the Blue Jays in exchange for Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, and Jairo Labourt just a day before the non-waiver trade deadline.

Now according to FOX Sports’ own Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs may not be able to sign a guy such as Price or Greinke on top of landing another big name player such as Jason Heyward or Alex Gordon.

If they are outbid by the St. Louis Cardinals, New York Yankees, or Boston Red Sox, they always have the option to call up the Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians to acquire either Shelby Miller or Carlos Carrasco within the next few weeks.

Atlanta pulled off a huge trade involving the Los Angeles Angels and shortstop Andrelton Simmons when they dealt the young infield to the West Coast not too long ago. Miller hardly had any run support over the course of the 2015 campaign and things may not improve next season.

The 25-year-old right-hander from Houston, Texas held his own despite wrapping up the season with a 6-17 record. That’s pretty bad for someone who recorded a 171/73 K/BB ratio and 3.02 ERA.

One thing that could close the door on the Cubs could be their asking price. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported that 20 or so teams called the Braves regarding Miller’s services and noted that the price tag was pretty high.

If the Braves wanted Yankees prospect, Luis Severino and outfielder Marcell Ozuna and more from the Miami Marlins — what would they ask in return from the Chicago Cubs?

We’ll have to wait and see if they decide to engage trade talks with Atlanta, but don’t be surprised if Jorge Soler and Javier Baez are mentioned.