4 big-time free agents who will be too expensive for the Cubs

The Cubs have the financial resources to sign any player they so choose. But that doesn't mean ownership or the front office believes in shopping at the top of the free agent market.

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4 big-time free agents who will be too expensive for the Cubs: #2 - Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Speaking of pitchers who could command a deal north of $200 million, prized Japanese right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto is poised to make the jump from the NPB this winter and will be one of the most sought-after international free agents in recent years.

In what might prove to be his final start in Japan this weekend, Yamamoto set a Japan Series record with 14 strikeouts in a 138-pitch complete game win. That level of dominance will surely turn heads over here across the league, but so will that pitch count - and not in a good way.

Just 25 years old, Yamamoto is young enough that a deal in excess of five years is almost a certainty. He's one of the most highly-regarded arms in Japan, and with good reason. In nearly 1,000 innings of work, the right-hander has a sub-2.00 ERA and 986 strikeouts. With big market teams like the Dodgers and Mets in dire need of starting pitching, there's little question he'll get paid this winter - it just won't be by the Cubs.

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