Three Chicago Cubs free agents who could be back in 2020

Chicago Cubs: Morrow feels loved in Chicago despite injuries

The signing of Brandon Morrow has left a $21 million bad taste in many Cubs fans’ mouths. For good reason, Morrow’s injuries have basically left the Cubs without a closer for the better part of two seasons. His injuries also pressed the Cubs to sign Craig Kimbrel in June, a decision that seemed necessary at the time but whose ultimate worth is still ambiguous at best.

While some may say it’s heretical to even consider bringing Morrow back, if he’s interested in re-upping on a minor league deal because the Cubs treated him so well, who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth? Bringing Morrow back on a risk free incentive-based contract could be just what the doctor ordered- hopefully that same doctor worked wonders on his right elbow.

Of course, there wouldn’t be much of an expectation that Morrow would be the dominant guy he was at the beginning of the 2018 season, but at the league minimum, the risk would be completely mitigated. The fact that Morrow would want to come back to Chicago out of a sense of loyalty says a lot about the organization, despite the disappointing end to both the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

By re-upping veterans Zobrist, Strop, and Morrow, the Cubs would be keeping important leadership from the last few seasons to help steer the team into the ever-changing future. Rather than looking at bringing them back as a negative “trap,” perhaps the low-risk/high-reward inexpensive signings means fans should expect another successful year despite stepping into the same river for a second (or fifth) time.

If the Cubs can sign these three veterans for under 10 million dollars for 2020, it should be a no-brainer for Theo Epstein and the front office to get it done. Whether it completely works out with the three all producing or not, it shouldn’t break the bank for a team that supposedly only wants to spend pennies.