Chicago Cubs: Pursue Nicholas Castellanos or Anthony Rendon?

Nicholas Castellanos and Anthony Rendon are two of the top free agents on the market this winter. Which one would the Chicago Cubs be better off pursuing?

The pressure will be on the Chicago Cubs front office this offseason to make some big moves after their September collapse has left them out of the National League playoffs for the first time in five years. Nicholas Castellanos and Anthony Rendon will be two of the biggest offensive names on the free agent market. Which one would the Cubs be better off pursuing?

Before we dive into that, we should probably address how realistic it is that the Cubs will be able to sign either one to what figures to be a big long-term deal. Not only will they both be coming off big seasons, but they both are represented by Scott Boras, so the price figures to be steep either way.

The Cubs should at least have some money to spend. Their 2019 payroll was about $211.5 million, while a recent column on cubs.com projected the payroll for next year to sit at about $140 million, before factoring in arbitration-eligible player salaries. Hopefully, the revenue from the new Marquee Sports Network will help in terms of being able to increase the payroll.

Whether the Cubs pursue a big bat such as Castellanos or Rendon depends on how much money they decide to spend on filling other needs such as a starting pitcher and the bullpen. For the sake of argument, let’s say that the Cubs do have the money and are willing to spend it on either Castellanos or Rendon.

Which one should they choose? Let’s examine both.