Chicago Cubs: How would Bryce Harper signing impact other outfielders?

Chicago Cubs: Would this team be prone to matchup weaknesses?

Even if injuries don’t exacerbate the issue, are the 2019 Cubs at risk of turning into a team that is weak against left-handed starting pitching? The 2016 Los Angeles Dodgers had that problem. Corey Seager, Adrian Gonzalez, Chase Utley, Joc Pederson and Josh Reddick were all left-handed batters who would start against right handed hurlers. Seager and Gonzalez stayed in the lineup against left handed starting pitchers. But the Dodgers had to find righties to start for Utley, Pederson and Reddick.

The Cubs have enjoyed tremendous position player depth during this competitive window. Depending on how you count players such as Bote and Murphy, the Cubs had about 12 regular starters for eight positions this year. Maddon will likely use opposing left-handed starting pitchers as a reason to start right-handed batters such as Almora.

If Maddon plays guys right, Harper might not give the Cubs too many left-handed batters. And those lefties can give a manager justification for changing things up with the lineup – something we’ve seen a lot already from the Chicago skipper the last four years.