Chicago Cubs: North Siders interested in veteran right-hander Johnny Cueto?

Well, the Chicago Cubs missed out on former Tampa Bay Rays’ ace David Price after he signed a seven-year deal worth $217 million with Theo Epstein’s former club, the Boston Red Sox.

So far the Detroit Tigers and Red Sox have found themselves a new anchor for their starting rotation, leaving it up to the rest of the league to battle it out for both Zack Greinke and Johnny Cueto.

The Arizona Diamondbacks offered Cueto a six-year deal worth around $120 million which was rejected by the 29-year-old who spent most of his career in the N.L. Central with the Cincinnati Reds prior to being traded to the Kansas City Royals. A World Series Championship soon followed.

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Despite being rejected, the Diamondbacks will more than likely extend another offer to his representatives, this time with at least another $40-$50 million on top of their previous number.

CBS Sports’ own Jon Heyman reported just the other day that several teams expressed interest in Cueto.

Aside from the D’backs, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and finally, the Chicago Cubs have emerged as potential suitors. Well, the Red Sox are out following their huge signing.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the St. Louis Cardinals decided to throw their names in the hat after it was revealed that Lance Lynn had to undergo Tommy John Surgery and will miss the entire 2016 campaign. Veteran right-hander and postseason workhorse, John Lackey is also a free-agent.

While Cueto decides on where he wants to go, it appears that Zack Greinke narrowed his destinations down to either Los Angeles or San Francisco according to Ken Rosenthal via The Score.

Johnny’s price tag will surely depend on what Greinke gets from either team, which is expected to surpass Price’s deal. So the Cubs may be out of the running for Cueto before the week comes to an end.

Still, there are plenty of solid rotation men available to help aid both Jon Lester and Jake Arrieta. If the Cubs end up adding only Jeff Samardzija and John Lackey, Jason Hammel is going to need to step it up in a huge way after a disappointing season.

But this could open the door for a fresh contract for either Alex Gordon or Jason Heyward.