Chicago Cubs: Looking ahead: Who gets the first extension?

Kyle Hendricks

Last year’s breakout star, the soft-tossing Hendricks is coming into his own. Although he’s somewhat struggling so far this season, there’s no reason to think he won’t be at least an above-average starter for the foreseeable future.

Pros: The Cubs need pitching moving forward. Jake Arrieta and John Lackey both hit free agency at season’s end. Not to mention Brett Anderson continuing to battle health issues. Hendricks is young, appears to be getting better and would come at a reasonable price.

Cons: Perhaps waiting until how he performs after his career year to explore extension talks would be best. After all, he could fall back down to earth and perform as more of a middle-of-the-rotation arm instead of an ace.