Chicago Cubs: Options aplenty next offseason outside of Bryce Harper

Major free agents remain unsigned one week into January. Why? Because the Chicago Cubs – and other teams – have their sights set on a loaded 2018 class.

The likes of Jake Arrieta, Yu Darvish, Alex Cobb and Eric Hosmer headline a free agent class anxiously eying the calendar. The Chicago Cubs report in five weeks – along with the rest of baseball – for Spring Training. Yet, all of these players, as well as others, remain homeless. Not in the traditional sense, of course. But what uniform they’ll wear in 2018 is anybody’s guess.

Why? Aside from the competitive balance tax (essentially a salary cap) under the new collective bargaining agreement, one culprit looms large. A historically loaded 2018-19 free agent class – led by Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.

The Cubs will undoubtedly add another starter in the next month. Whether it’s Darvish, Arrieta or Cobb remains to be seen. But if the team wants to stockpile some funds for next winter, only a fool could blame them.

Yes, it’s supposedly as good as done. Bryce Harper is going to team up with Kris Bryant to form one of the most lethal offensive combinations in baseball history. But what if that doesn’t happen? Where will Chicago turn in search of an impact addition?

Let’s just say there are more than a few options.

Chicago Cubs: Is Gio Gonzalez a potential rotation target?

Forget about the Chicago Cubs-St. Louis Cardinals rivalry for just a minute. The Cubs-Nationals showdowns we’ll have this year (the clubs meet seven times in the regular season) are already circled on my calendar.

After last year’s exciting NLDS matchup between these two clubs, who can be anything short of ecstatic at the prospect of another postseason battle? Add in the fact that Harper could flip sides in the rivalry after this year and that longtime Joe Maddon bench coach Dave Martinez now manages the Nats and you’ve got yourself a prime storyline.

But Harper isn’t the only Washington talent who could come to Chicago next winter. Left-hander Gio Gonzalez is also a free agent after this season. And, despite being constantly overshadowed by Stephen Strasburg and Max Scherzer, he’s been an incredibly consistent pitcher for years.

Consistency in the rotation

Since joining the Nationals in 2012, the southpaw carries a 3.34 FIP and 115 ERA+ across more than 1,110 innings pitched. His strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.62) isn’t where you’d like it to be, but he’s limited the damage.

Just once has his ERA eclipsed 4.00 in a season while in D.C. The former first-round pick of the White Sox turns 33 in September. We may very well see him seek a five-plus year deal next winter. If that’s the case – no thanks. But after failing to advance in the postseason year after year in Washington, the thought of winning it all in the Cubs’ current window might persuade him otherwise.

Chicago Cubs: Adam Jones in center field?

OK, I’ll admit. This is a long-shot, at best.

The Cubs reportedly have a three-year offer on the table for free agent Lorenzo Cain as we speak. Not only that, but they also boast two promising young talents in center in Ian Happ and Albert Almora. Adding another outfielder to the mix darn-near necessitates a trade of some kind.

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One of the big things I look at in a guy is how often he keeps himself on the field. Adam Jones is on the field – a lot. Since 2011, he’s never appeared in fewer than 137 games. And in five of those seven seasons, he’s played in at least 150 contests for Baltimore. And it’s not just that he’s in the lineup – he’s a focal point for opposing pitchers.

Nice insurance offensively

Most of the attention is focused on his teammate, Manny Machado. And for good reason. But Jones is a solid complimentary piece who could provide some more pop in the lineup for Chicago. Over the last seven seasons, the outfielder carries a .279/.318/.473 slash-line. Over the course of 162 games, he’s averaged 31 home runs and 93 runs batted in, as well.

His poor on-base showing is of particular concern to me – at least when evaluating his fit on the North Side. The Cubs need more guys who can work counts and get on base via the base-on-balls, not the opposite.

Still, he’s got pop and if you slotted him in alongside Almora or Happ in center, it could make for a lethal lineup.

Chicago Cubs: Here’s your long-term ninth-inning answer

The last two seasons, the Cubs used rentals or one-year players to close in Aroldis Chapman and Wade Davis. At season’s end, Chapman headed back to New York and, more recently, Wade Davis signed a record deal with the Colorado Rockies.

This year, Chicago appears poised to go with unproven, yet talented, right-hander Brandon Morrow. Last season, the Dodgers setup man put together the best season of his career and pitch in all seven games of the Fall Classic, as well.

In 45 games, he put up a 1.55 FIP to go along with an incredible 5.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Morrow averaged north of 10 strikeouts per nine and his 204 ERA+ tells the rest of the tale pretty aptly. Injuries, however, have been a major issue in his career and the Cubs are banking on him staying healthy in 2018.

A win-win for Morrow and Kimbrel

Adding Kimbrel next offseason could allow Chicago to move Morrow back into a setup role. Meanwhile, the current Red Sox closer gives you the best ninth-inning arm in the league to lock things up.

Last season in Boston, Kimbrel appeared in 67 games for the Red Sox, finishing out 51 contests. He was absolutely dominant – with a near-identical 1.43 ERA and 1.42 FIP. His 0.681 WHIP marked the second-lowest mark of his big-league career.

The best part of it all? The right-hander turns 30 this season – so he should, in theory, have plenty of gas left in the tank. To bring him in, the Cubs will undoubtedly need to open up the checkbook in a big way. But doing so could answer the ninth-inning question for years to come.