Chicago Cubs Prediction: Tyler Chatwood will outperform Alex Cobb in 2018

The last major starting pitcher free agent, Alex Cobb, finally has a home. The Chicago Cubs were smart to go with Tyler Chatwood instead of the right-hander.

Remember last fall when Alex Cobb to the Chicago Cubs seemed about as much of a lock as humanly possible? Seriously, the odds seemed better than those that Tom Tunney would start drama with the Cubs this winter. Those are some favorable odds for those at home keeping score.

Instead, Cobb inked a four-year, $57 million deal with the Baltimore Orioles – ending months of speculation as to where he’d land. The Cubs, meanwhile, replaced Jake Arrieta and John Lackey with Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood. The latter of whom marked the team’s first major signing of the offseason.

Really, at that point, we should’ve guessed things weren’t lining up with Cobb. But, at that point, the Cubs sat one starter short of a five-man staff, so adding Chatwood seemed more like a ‘we need to replace Lackey’ move instead of a ‘we want to win the World Series’ one.

But with time, more and more people are excited about what the former Rockies right-hander brings to the table. And, based on how he’s pitched this spring, it’s with good reason.