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Chicago Cubs don’t need Bryce Harper to win big next season
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. No, we’re not talking about the holidays. Hot Stove season is upon us and Chicago Cubs fans are stoked.
The 2018-19 offseason is officially underway – and it’s shaping up to be a doozy. No one has a clue where the likes of Manny Machado and Bryce Harper will wind up. That being said, more than a few Chicago Cubs fans are clamoring for the latter to come to the Windy City.
But here’s a truth you need to hear. The Cubs do not need to land one of these guys to remain contenders in the National League.
Chicago has been more prominently linked to Harper than Machado, but given the questions surrounding Addison Russell and his future, you can’t rule out either guy.
As exciting as the idea of the Cubs bringing in a guy with the talent caliber of Harper, the club does not need him to contend. This team faced many challenges in 2018, namely injuries and inconsistency. Despite these issues, they still found a way almost to win the National League Central and, for the first time in history, reached the postseason for the fourth-straight year.
Chicago Cubs: Don’t worry about the offense
The 2018 campaign indeed ended on disappointing terms. However, that does not mean the season, as a whole, was a disappointment. For instance, the team finished fifth overall in total team offense, posting a total team WAR of 27.2. The New York Yankees, World Series champion Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Dodgers were the only teams to finish above the Cubs.
As a team, they posted a slash line of .258/.333/.410 with an overall wOBA of .321 and a 100 wRC+. While the team’s wRC+ finished directly at league average, they found ways to produce and score runs.
Even more significant to understand is the amount of injuries the Cubs dealt with throughout the entirety of the season. Anthony Rizzo, Ben Zobrist, Addison Russell, Jason Heyward and Kris Bryant all saw time on the disabled list, with Bryant and Heyward sidelined multiple times.
Regardless, big-time production from Javier Baez as well as the midseason acquisition of Daniel Murphy helped keep the Cubs in contention. Despite Rizzo’s stint on the disabled list as well as a slow start, he still slashed .283/.376/.470 with 25 home runs and eclipsing the 100-RBI mark for the fourth-straight year.
Concerning overall power, the Cubs finished outside the top 20 in production. A drop in power from both Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo kept the team from hitting the usual amount of home runs in a typical season. That being said, they still found solid production in the other facets of their game.
A healthy offense moving into the 2019 season will undoubtedly change the scope of the lineup considerably. The team fought hard until the final day of the season, even with the numerous injuries, making them a dangerous lineup in their usual nature and an offense fans should not worry about.
Chicago Cubs: Bigger fish to fry
The sheer temptation of signing a guy like Harper rings strong with Cubs’ fans. What the realization needs to be, however, is that the club has some outstanding future contracts which need to be addressed. Rizzo, for example, is due just over $12 million next season and has a pair of $16.5 million team options at the back end of his deal.
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Kris Bryant finds himself in arbitration two heading into 2019. Rumors regarding a potential long-term deal lit the hot stove fire earlier in the fall, but we have no concrete evidence the two sides are close to anything. The former National League MVP will hit free agency in a few years and the Cubs need to do everything they can to lock him down for the future.
The final piece to the puzzle, second baseman Javier Baez, enters into arbitration one this upcoming season. Baez won’t hit the market until after the 2021 season, but he is still only 25 years old and will be a main staple of this franchise for the foreseeable future, especially following his career year in 2018.
Yes, it is tempting to bring on Harper. He would presumably boost the offense in a significant way and provide a solid middle-of-the-order bat to supplement the already potent lineup. But if he lands the type of deal he’s projected to fetch, the Cubs could lose out in the long game if they decided to bring him onboard.
Chicago Cubs: Looking ahead to 2019
Bryce Harper is one of the best players in Major League Baseball. As we mentioned, MLB Trade Rumors dropped their Top 50 free agent predictions – and the numbers we’re talking about are record-breaking.
They’re calling for a 14-year, $420 million deal for the former Nats icon. That works out to a $30 million AAV, which is affordable for many of the big market teams. A handful of teams, namely big market clubs, have the space for the services of Harper.
dark. Next. Javier Baez could be even more exciting in 2019
It may be an unpopular opinion, but the Cubs are fine without Bryce Harper. In fact, they’re more than just fine without him. The team is still capable of being an offensive juggernaut who will inevitably rebound in 2019.
A healthy Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant will help the team immensely as they have in years past. With that said, whoever lands Harper, Cubs or not, will cement themselves as a contender. Chicago, however, will remain as contenders, Harper or not.