Chicago Cubs: Looking at players in their final contract years

Chicago Cubs: All other UFAs in 2020 are relievers and a very mixed bag of them.

The remaining players on expiring deals are as follows: Pedro Strop, Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler, Brian Duensing and Xavier Cedeno.

Right now the most likely player on the current roster to be re-signed or extended before the offseason is Pedro Strop. He has been one of the most consistent relievers the Cubs have had. He has never had an ERA above 2.91 in Chicago and has averaged roughly a 2.60 ERA, 59 innings and 1.02 WHIP per season since 2014. Hard to see the Cubs letting him go.

As for the others, it is up in the air. Cishek (32) will be making $6.5 million on the last of his two-year deal and will draw interest from a number of teams if he has another good season. He has a career 2.65 ERA and 125 saves with five teams. Cedeno just signed a one-year $900K deal after bouncing between several teams and not really an expiring contract people are thinking about.

Unless Kintzler and Duensing blow people away, they are most likely gone after 2019.

Chicago Cubs: Several key players have team options.

The following players have team options in 2020: Anthony Rizzo, Jose Quintana, Brandon Morrow, Tony Barnette and Kendall Graveman.

Let’s get this out of the way, Rizzo is going nowhere. He becomes a UFA in 2022 and he may be extended by then.

The other one that seems likely to return is Quintana. His 2020 option is the final year of control on his deal he signed with the White Sox before being acquired in 2017. Unless he is traded, doubt they do not pick up this option. Morrow somewhat falls in this category as well IF he returns, stays healthy and pitches as he has. Easy to forget he pitched to a 1.47 ERA last year before his injury.

Obviously, a lot can happen from now until the end of the season. This just gives an idea of what could happen to these guys after this year and how their performances can determine what happens.