The Chicago Cubs are in a very complicated spot this off-season. Most of their key players have been included in trade rumors since the season ended. On paper, there aren’t many spots that need to be filled, but there is always room for improvement. Their needs may be much different in the coming months, especially if they deal one of their star players. With that being said, here are some of the Cubs’ big off-season needs.
Starting Rotation
Chicago’s rotation is actually in good shape, despite losing Jon Lester, Tyler Chatwood, and Jose Quintana. They’ll need to fill the last two spots. Adbert Alzolay looks primed to earn himself one of those spots. He doesn’t have a ton of experience at the MLB level but has been making progress for a couple of years now. His struggles in 2019 seem to have been corrected, going from an inflated ERA of 7.30 to 2.35 this season. He should join Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks, and Alec Mills. This means the Cubs will likely look to the free-agent market to strengthen the back of their rotation.
There are plenty of candidates still available. The list is headlined by Trevor Bauer, who is likely out of the Cubs’ price range. It is also filled with veteran arms, such as Charlie Morton, Corey Kluber, and Jake Arrieta. Any of those guys would be a welcomed sight in a Cubs uniform for the right price. Arrieta obviously has a rich history with the team, but since his departure, he has struggled to stay healthy. It would be fitting that he ends up back in Chicago. Don’t rule out the re-signing of Jon Lester either. It’s possible that he comes back on a much more team-friendly deal. If not, the team is still expected to fill the final spot with a seasoned veteran to anchor the rotation.
Bullpen
Perhaps the biggest loss the off-season is in the bullpen. Jeremy Jeffress is hitting free agency after one season with the Cubs. Jeffress played spectacular the whole season. He took over the closer role when Craig Kimbrel struggled and was one of the only bright spots in an underwhelming bullpen. The 33-year old pitcher was one of the runner-ups for NL reliever of the year. He got the team out of countless pressure situations, which secured them big wins. His market value is projected around $7 million, and Chicago has certainly been stingy with money in recent years. Nonetheless, the front office should at least make him a decent offer.
Even if the Chicago Cubs bring back Jeffress, their bullpen is still a point of concern. They weren’t great in the shortened season, and that was with many quality starts from the rotation. Kimbrel is being paid $16 million for the next two seasons, and to put it bluntly, he has been terrible. He’ll need to get out of this slump if he plans on being the team’s closer. It would be a pleasant surprise to see him get back to his prime form. No matter what, they’ll need more depth around him. Too much pressure was put on the starters’ to go deep into games. In a normal regular season, they need to limit the strain on their key arms. Improving the bullpen is a must.
Positional Players
Not much has changed for the Chicago Cubs in the field yet — the keyword is yet. This all depends of course on the potential trades that could happen in the near future. Chicago could run it back with this core roster, which would certainly be their last ride. If recent seasons taught them anything though, it’s that they aren’t real contenders with the lineup they have now. The Cubs probably won’t be adding any big-name batters through free agency, in fact, they’ve been hesitant to extending their own stars. They are losing Jason Kipnis, Cameron Maybin, Josh Phegley, and Billy Hamilton. The roster depth will take a bit of a hit, but there are some players available that could fix that.
One of them is Jonathan Villar. He is expected to have a tough market and would be a good acquisition. Villar is an upgrade from Maybin at a reasonable salary. Although he isn’t known for his great defense, he would still be a quality bat off the bench. Another notable player is Dee Strange-Gordon. Gordon could share time with Nico Hoerner at second base, much like Kipnis did in 2020. Gordon also adds some speed off the bench. The former All-Star relies on his contact hitting, which the Cubs could use a lot more of. Those are just two players who could improve the team at a low cost.
Off-Season Outlook
The Chicago Cubs will not be big spenders by any means. Most decisions will be dependent on whether they go through with trade offers. A couple of things are for certain: team president Theo Epstein will not be with the club after 2021, and the Cubs desperately need to revamp this roster. One big move could set them back on the right track, or end up starting a full-on rebuilding process. Chicago’s future is quite uncertain. It will be interesting to see how all of this unfolds over the coming months.
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