Chicago Cubs: No need for Christian Yelich; Albert Almora is the future

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The endless speculation that the Chicago Cubs will trade for Christian Yelich needs come to a screeching halt. Outfielder Albert Almora deserves a shot.

Christian Yelich is a special talent, and it makes perfect sense why anyone would want him on their team. But for the Chicago Cubs, there are at least a couple reasons why pursuing him isn’t the most logical thing to do. “Want” and “need” are very different things.

As we witnessed during a significant portion of the regular season, and certainly during the postseason, the Cubs have a shortage of quality pitching, especially in the bullpen. And with two of their starting pitchers hitting the free agent market, neither of whom are likely to return, the rotation has become a top offseason priority as well.

Would it be great if the Cubs had Christian Yelich? Of course, but they don’t need him. The cost would be tremendous and frankly, they can’t afford to trade for him and quality pitching this winter.

Chicago Cubs: Almora showing marked improvement

Have we forgotten about Albert Almora? He’s reason number one why the clamoring for Yelich should be taken down a notch. Almora got a taste of the big leagues in 2016, and for the most part, he had an impressive rookie campaign.

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His .277/.308/.455 rookie slash line was a good indication that he was ready to face major league pitching. Consequently, he stepped into a larger role in 2017. And by almost every measurement, he showed marked improvement.

After playing in just 47 games in 2016, Almora played in 132 games in 2017, posting a slash line of .298/.338/.445 with eight home runs and 46 RBI in 323 plate appearances.

Can he hit righties?

The real dubiety of Almora being the everyday center fielder next season revolves around his ability to hit right-handed pitching. Almora was dominant against left-handers and less so against right-handers. The narrative, though, is that he is completely inept against right-handers, which is simply not true.

This season, Almora slashed .271/.291/.420 against right-handers. And interestingly enough, he actually crushed righties at home, though in an admittedly small sample size. Against lefties, he slashed .342/.411/.486.

There isn’t a considerable discrepancy between his strikeout percentages against left and right handed pitchers. His walk rate, however, is a paltry three percent against right-handers. That’s one area of his game that needs to progress in 2018. And judging by his steps forward from the previous season, it’s not at all unreasonable to think he’ll make that progress.

Chicago Cubs: You must think long-term with Almora

There’s no denying Yelich is currently the superior player. But is there any evidence to suggest Almora can’t reach Yelich’s level in the near future? After all, Almora is two years younger.

Since his debut, Almora confirmed what we all surmised from the beginning: he’s as solid as they come in the field. He’s quick and consistently takes efficient routes to the ball. According to FanGraphs, Almora’s UZR/150 in 2017 was 2.3, compared to -0.7 for Yelich. There’s a strong case to be made that Almora is the best defensive center fielder on the Cubs, and yes, that includes Jason Heyward.

Yelich can stick

The bat is where the real value lies with Christian Yelich. He’s a career .290 hitter who has developed some real power (39 combined home runs from 2016 and 2017) over the past two seasons.

In his first two seasons, Yelich slashed .285/.365/.400 with 13 home runs and 70 RBI in 933 plate appearances. Comparatively, Almora has slashed .292/.330/.448 with 11 home runs and 60 RBI in 440 plate appearances over the course of his two-year career.

With more than twice the amount of plate appearances, Yelich drove in only 10 more runs than Almora at the same point in his career. Now, Yelich has been phenomenal for the entirety of his five-year year career. But Albert Almora looks to be heading in a similar direction.

Chicago Cubs have far more pressing needs this winter

It wouldn’t necessarily be a bad idea for the Cubs to go after an additional outfielder this winter, but let’s be realistic here–Christian Yelich would cost a ton. Pitching is absolutely the top priority right now, so it might be ill-advised for the Cubs to unload the bulk of their assets on a position player.

If the Cubs did indeed pull off a trade for Yelich, their farm system of top prospects would be severely depleted, leaving precious little remaining to get pitchers. Keep in mind, the free agent market for pitching this offseason is rather weak, especially for starters.

Entering this winter, 40 percent of Chicago’s 2017 rotation lies vacant. Filling out those spots should be the first order of business. The bullpen comes next. Aside from their breakdancing in that glorified garage they call a bullpen, there wasn’t a whole lot to be impressed with from that group in 2017.

Their best bullpen arm was probably closer Wade Davis, but he’s a free agent now. Justin Wilson is signed through 2019, and presumably, he’ll remember how to throw a baseball next year. But what if he doesn’t? Carl Edwards Jr. shows flashes of dominance, but his exceptionally high walk rate of 14.5 percent is a bit daunting.

Next: The Cubs probably aren't trading Heyward

Focus on necessities, not luxuries

In their present state, the Cubs probably have enough to win the NL Central again. But the postseason is a different story. Yes, poor hitting was the most glaring of their many shortcomings this postseason. But that could be described as a cold streak at the most inopportune of times, not a lack of quality hitters.

Getting a three or four-spot-caliber starter and a reliable reliever may not be as appealing as going after someone like Yelich, but it’s what is currently necessary. The Cubs have plenty of big-name stars on their team already. Do you want one more, or do you want to win in the postseason?

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