Chicago Cubs should pass on the high price tag that comes with Gerrit Cole

Gerrit Cole, arguably the most sought after talent in the 2020 free agent class, is not the right fit for the Chicago Cubs pitching staff in its current state.

Anybody that has followed baseball this year knows what Gerrit Cole is doing on the mound is otherworldly. He has dominated MLB hitters for an entire season and made it look incredibly easy. As he plays in the World Series, fans without a dog in the fight look to speculate Why Cole would come to their team and save their starting rotation. After 2019, many Chicago Cubs fans would love that talent on the bump every fifth day. Who wouldn’t?

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Because of Gerrit Cole’s career 2019 season, he will earn a boatload of money from one of the many franchises willing and able to spend top dollar. We have seen pitchers such as David Price sign for $217,000,000, Max Scherzer for $210,000,000 and Zack Greinke sign for $206,500,000.

There is no doubt the 29-year-old Cole will have the ability to sign for more money than all three of these pitchers.

Due to Cole’s earning potential, the Chicago Cubs should not consider signing the flamethrower. While his production makes him the best pitcher in baseball, signing a large contract like Cole puts the rest of the team in jeopardy as we approach the end of our young core’s cheap payroll.

Over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the Cubs will lose control of many key offensive pieces including  Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Willson Contreras, and Kyle Schwarber. The Cubs will not be able to sign all these bats as the contractual obligations stand now.

If Chicago were to sign Cole to a long-term deal worth $35,000,000 a year, it would hinder the growth of this franchise and destroy the chance at keeping the offensive core Theo Epstein developed.

Don’t get me wrong – I’d love to have Cole anchor the Cubs staff. There’s a glaring need for an ace atop this staff and he’s fit perfectly. But at what cost? One that I, personally, am unwilling to pay.

The core bats mentioned above are the Cubs’ main priority in achieving success in the future. Talks about Kris Bryant being traded are circulating and changes will be made. One change that the Cubs cannot make is signing Gerrit Cole to a long term deal.