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Chicago Cubs: Is the front office really saving for next offseason?
The first month or so of the Chicago Cubs offseason, the rumors and their reported way of thinking can be summarily described in one simple word: crazy.
We’ve seen it all already this winter. From the Chicago Cubs reportedly entering the offseason in a financially strapped state to Theo Epstein saying there are no limits to spending, nobody really knows what’s going to happen with the roster this offseason. One thing, though, is certain – changes are coming.
Chicago put together a fourth straight 90-plus win season in 2018, but things fell off the proverbial cliff late. Over the season’s final weeks, the Cubs squandered a comfortable lead in the division – eventually seeing the Milwaukee Brewers leapfrog them in the standings for the NL Central crown.
Epstein’s postseason comments regarding “performance over talent” confirm as much. Ken Rosenthal recently mentioned the Cubs might be more enamored with next year’s class, rather than the two big fish this year with Manny Machado and Bryce Harper. But, who is really in that class that makes it so appealing?
Chicago Cubs: Looking at the position players
The ongoing debate between Rockies and Cubs’ fans about who is better between Nolan Arenado and Kris Bryant will probably never end, but the Cubs could have both if they decide to move Bryant to the outfield permanently. Arenado is an elite fielder with elite power. The road numbers aren’t great, but this is still a player that any team should want.
He’s coming off a .935 OPS 2018 campaign in which he blasted 38 homers, as well. He eclipsed the 100-RBI mark for the fourth consecutive season and also won his sixth straight Gold Glove award at third base – one for each year he’s spent in the league.
The connection here is instant. Epstein signed Bogaerts as an international free agent back in 2009. “Bogey” has been an everyday player in the majors since 2014 and has two World Series rings, as he was on the playoff roster for the Red Sox run back in 2013.
Production-wise Bogaerts has put up nearly three five-WAR seasons and quietly had his best offensive season-to-date in 2018 with 23 home runs and 103 RBI. His 135 OPS+ marked a career-high, as well, as he helped lead the Red Sox to a championship.
This is a really intriguing option – for multiple reasons. Gennett has reached another level the past two seasons with his hometown Cincinnati Reds. It’s by no means a stretch to say the Cubs could plug him in at second base and move Javier Baez to shortstop permanently, depending on the still-unclear status of Addison Russell.
Gennett posted a 4.5 WAR this season to go along with a .310/.357/.490 slash line. He may very well be a dark horse trade candidate this offseason as well, depending on how the Cincinnati front office feels moving forward.
Chicago Cubs: Does this team really need another arm?
You never know. Hard-throwing right-hander Gerrit Cole has found another level with the Houston Astros, as most of their pitchers do. In 2018, he broke 200 innings for the third time in four years, while pitching to a sterling 2.70 FIP, 1.033 WHIP and league-best 12.3 strikeouts per nine.
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Prior to that, he was still pretty darn good as a Pirate. Back in 2015, he actually finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting – in a season that ultimately ended with Jake Arrieta blanking Cole’s Pirates in the Wild Card game at PNC Park. He is familiar with the Central and, with the Cubs’ rotation aging, Cole could be a breath of fresh air still being under 30.
Talk about the ideal Theo Epstein pick up. A guy that has nasty stuff, pitches to contact, but just hasn’t quite been able to put it all together.
The 2016 AL Cy Young Award winner is still in his prime, and depending on how his 2019 goes, could come at a premium price. His career 4.28 ERA with a 4.02 FIP doesn’t exactly jump off the page, but he only averages two walks per nine. A strike thrower is just what the Cubs need, and his durability can’t go unnoticed. He exceeded 200 innings three times and has averaged 191 frames annually since 2011.
For personal reasons, seeing him go to the Dodgers would be so awesome just to add fuel to that already heated rivalry. This is probably the guy you can set the bar the lowest for. This front office has repeatedly preached they want to know a guy’s demeanor and impact on the clubhouse.
In my estimation, Bumgarner is not a very well liked person in the game, but he is still an impact pitcher, and the Cubs are trying to win a second World Series. Why not make a run at perhaps the best postseason pitcher in baseball?
dark. Next. Pursuing Dee Gordon?
Long story short, next year’s crop of free agents is just as good as this year’s, maybe even better overall from top to bottom. If the Cubs do decide to make a run at any of the aforementioned guys, they have proven that they get who they want. Next year should be no different.