Chicago Cubs: Why the Cubs shouldn’t re-sign John Lackey

The Cubs could be looking at a starting pitching epidemic.

The common belief is that Jake Arrieta is going to walk this offseason.  So then what are the Cubs left with?

Well, they have an aging Jon Lester, a currently struggling Kyle Hendricks, and that’s about it.  The Cubs need young, controllable starters and they need them badly.  This is even more of a reason why re-signing John Lackey would only hurt them.

Is it smart to go out and pay John Lackey around $10 million for a one-year deal?  N, it isn’t.  Not only are you trying to squeeze every last drop out of Lackey, you are clogging up a spot that could be occupied by a young pitcher.

Whether it is through trades or the free agent market, the Cubs need at least three more long-term starters.  That isn’t always easy to come by either.

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Some of you may be thinking, “We need more offense, offense is the problem”.  While the club has had a tough time in that department this year, pitching is the thing you should be really concerned about.

John Lackey is a great jewelry-seeker and non-haircut getter, he just isn’t what the Cubs need.  It will be tough to say goodbye to Lackey, but everything eventually comes to an end.