The Cubs have made a splash in the offseason and are now looking like the best team in baseball. They have already acquired Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist, John Lackey, and traded away Starlin Castro, but the offseason is not over yet.
There are still some questions for the pitching spot on the roster. Does Jake Arrieta have what it takes to repeat his outstanding year? Will Jon Lester bounce back and prove he is worth the millions of dollars the Cubs are paying him? Those questions are the reasons why the Cubs offseason is not over. They are still looking for pitching. According to FOX, the Cubs are still looking to trade for a starting pitcher. They have been reportedly talking to Tyson Ross, Carlos Carrasco, and Danny Salazar. These players have already been involved in rumors when the Cubs tried making a trade involving them prior to the trade deadline.
The Cubs will most likely be trading Jorge Soler or Javier Baez to get a starting pitcher. Currently, the projected starting lineup involves Soler starting in right, Schwarber starting in left, Heyward starting in center, and the same infield as 2015 with Zobrist replacing Castro at second. If Baez gets dealt for a starting pitcher, then there wouldn’t be much of a problem with having to sign another player, but if the Cubs trade away Soler, then the Cubs offseason will just become even crazier. If Soler gets dealt, then most likely Heyward would move to right, Schwarber would stay in left, and there would be an open spot in center. What will the Cubs do with that open spot?
The options are endless. What I think that most likely will happen is either the Cubs re-sign Dexter Fowler, or the Cubs sign Denard Span. The Cubs were in contention to sign Denard Span, but instead Jason Heyward chose the Cubs as his 2016 destination, which filled the Cubs roster, therefore they didn’t need to sign Span. So potentially, the starting lineup for the Cubs could be Montero at catcher, Rizzo at first base, Zobrist at second base, Russell at shortstop, Bryant at third base, Schwarber at left field, Span/Fowler at center field, and Heyward at right field. And the Pitching rotation could be Arrieta, Lester, Lackey, Ross/Carrasco/Salazar, and Hammel. That roster makes the Cubs no question, the best team in baseball.
This offseason shows that the Cubs have had enough of all of the curses, the 108 year streak, and shows they mean business.
It will be fun to see how the Cubs finish this offseason. Will the Cubs sign any more players? WIll any more trades be made? We will find out the answers to these questions as the offseason comes to a close.
-Ben Kirsch
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