Chicago Cubs: These free agent targets make most sense for team this winter

A familiar face comes back

The Chicago Cubs don’t need another big-name catcher. Willson Conteras broke out in a big way this season. If not for an injury that cost him significant time, he likely would have received some MVP consideration.

The 25-year-old backstop batted .276/.356/.499 with a career-high 21 home runs and 74 runs batted in across 117 games. You can’t ask for much more – at least in terms of offense – from a catcher in his first full big-league season. As the season drew on, Contreras only improved, posting an OPS north of 1.000 in both July and August before suffering an injury that cost him most of the final month.

A more-than-capable backup

Meanwhile, Alex Avila and Rene Rivera picked up the slack for Chicago behind the dish. Rivera, long known as a defensive catcher, was outstanding with the lumber, with a 155 OPS+ after coming over to the Cubs. Suggesting he’ll put up numbers like that again is unwise, but he clearly found himself comfortable with his new team.

He’s a good pitch receiver, rating as a roughly league-average defender behind the plate. His arm spoke for itself, though. He caught 38 percent of base-stealers with the Cubs – a full 10 points higher than the league average. In his career, he averages a 36 percent caught-stealing rate, so this was no anomaly.

Rene Rivera isn’t the sexy free agent deal that gets fans’ blood pumping. But he’s one of the guys who helps you win games down the stretch – and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

Chicago Cubs: Could another former Rays pitcher come to Wrigley?

In both the regular season and come playoff time, the Chicago bullpen took a big step backward in 2017. Outside of Wade Davis and maybe Brian Duensing, the team regularly failed to find consistency from their relievers.

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That’s not to say there’s not talent in the group coming back. I’m a firm believer in guys like Carl Edwards Jr. and Pedro Strop. Outside of that, Justin Grimm and Hector Rondon aren’t exactly on the top of my wish-list when it comes to guys I want to give the ball to in high-pressure situations.  With that thinking, the Cubs will undoubtedly add bullpen help this winter.

For me, Steve Cishek makes a lot of sense. MLBTR projects the right-hander getting a two-year deal in the $14 million range. I wouldn’t have any problem with Chicago giving a deal like that to a 31-year-old coming off a 2.01 ERA and 0.896 WHIP campaign.

Late-inning experience

The former Marlins closer racked up 117 saves from 2012 to 2016 and could very well be a lower-tier closer option for the Cubs if they choose to not bring back Wade Davis. In 2013, Cishek finished a league-leading 62 games for Miami. So, regardless of role, he’s got the high-leverage experience Chicago badly needs heading into 2018

In such situations, according to Baseball Reference, the right-hander has limited opponents to a batting average in the .220s over his career. His strikeout-to-walk ratio makes me a bit nervous, but you have to trust Jim Hickey to address that with the entire staff after the Cubs’ performance in that regard this season.

Chicago Cubs found a weapon in Jon Jay

This one is more difficult. I think Jon Jay proved himself in just about every way imaginable in his first season with the Cubs. I also think not bringing him back could prove to be one of those moves that comes around to bite you.

Again, MLBTR has Jay getting a two-year deal in the $14 million range. I think that’s a fair deal for a guy who not only mentored the young guys like Albert Almora this year, but put together some of the most professional at-bats I’ve ever seen on a daily basis.

Jay posted a career-high .374 on-base percentage with Chicago this year, batting just under .300 on the year. For Joe Maddon, the outfielder became his go-to guy off the bench late in games when the Cubs needed a quality AB.

“It’s almost a problem he’s created for himself by being so good off the bench,” Maddon told the Chicago Tribune. “It’s hard. When he starts the game you’re looking for him in the latter part of the game to plug him in in the right spot. He’s so good at that.”

Lots of moving pieces in the outfield

Now, we have to address the elephant in the room. If Jay returns to Chicago, he’ll likely face a similar role in 2018. Almora figures to finally get a shot at the center field job on a daily basis. Jason Heyward is entrenched in right field and Kyle Schwarber, left. The Cubs also feature guys like Ben Zobrist and Ian Happ, both of whom play the outfield on a fairly regular basis.

If the Cubs bring back Jon Jay, it means someone else is gone. It doesn’t make sense to have all these pieces on the position-player side of things with the apparent pitching shortcomings. But if someone like Happ heads out of town in a trade, Jon Jay may be the perfect fit to provide Chicago further outfield depth.

Chicago Cubs could again take a former Cardinals piece

Jake Arrieta figures to command a deal well-north of $100 million this offseason. Take into account guys like Johnny Cueto and Masahiro Tanaka both opted in to the remaining years on the current deal and that price will only rise.

So instead of five or six years with a total value in the nine-figure range, why not add a middle-of-the-rotation piece like Lance Lynn?

Chicago Cubs

Projected for a four-year deal in the $56 million range, the right-hander could be just what the Cubs need. Remember, Chicago already features a very respectable three-starter mix of Kyle Hendricks, Jon Lester and Jose Quintana heading into 2018. Lynn could slot in behind them in the four-spot with no expectations other than eat innings and keep the team in the ballgame.

Last season marked his sixth-straight campaign of a sub-4.00 earned run average, making more than 30 starts yet again. He missed the 2016 campaign with Tommy John surgery, but came back and did what he always does for the Redbirds in 2017. If you can maintain that for the next four years and provide stability in the back of the Cubs’ rotation, I’d be more than satisfied.

Really what this comes down to for me is this: Chicago doesn’t need another ace. I strongly believe in Hendricks to fill that role moving forward. Let’s spread out the money you’d give to an ace-type arm and spread it out to address the team’s other needs.

Chicago Cubs: A multiple-inning lefty? Yes, please.

The Chicago Cubs know what a shutdown left-handed reliever can mean to a team. Aroldis Chapman put the team on his back in the 2016 postseason. The team they played against, the Cleveland Indians, boast the best multiple-inning left-hander in the game in Andrew Miller.

Now, Mike Minor is not in the same league as those two. But the concept and idea remains the same. A left-handed reliever capable of throwing more than one frame is a valuable commodity.

Minor, heading into his age-30 season, is an interesting target. He missed several seasons due to injury before making his way back as a reliever with Kansas City last year. (Imagine that – a lights-out reliever with the Royals). The southpaw appeared in 65 games, pitching to a 2.55 ERA and 2.62 FIP.

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What makes him even more appealing to me personally? His 4.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio, including 10.2 strikeouts per nine. A 176 ERA+ demonstrates just how effective Minor was in his first season of big-league relief. And that effectiveness is going to get him a big payday this winter.

The Cubs need a left-handed weapon out of the bullpen. Mike Minor may be just the guy to fill that void.