While many of my other pieces this off-season have focused more on middle relief or setup options, this one will focus on the back end of the Cubs bullpen. One of the most interesting stories of the 2017 season, specifically the postseason, was the enormous success of Brandon Morrow for the Dodgers following five straight […]
Tag: Offseason Targets
Cubs Target Profile: Joe Smith
The Cubs bullpen conversations will span far and wide for the Cubs this off-season, but one of the better fits they might find is former Cub Joe Smith. You might remember Smith from his brief stint with the Cubs in 2016. Now I’m not saying that Smith is the reason they won the World Series […]
Cubs Offseason Target: Alex Cobb
With the departures of Jake Arrieta and John Lackey from the Cubs starting rotation, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer find themselves with two spots to fill this offseason. This year’s starting pitching market offers a couple top-tier options like Yu Darvish and Arrieta, himself, as well as some high-upside, high-risk arms like Shohei Otani. But […]
Cubs Offseason Target: Chris Archer
Position: Starting Pitcher 2017 Stats: 201.0 IP, 3.52 ERA, 3.37 FIP, 1.23 WHIP, 29.2 K%, 7.0 BB%, 3.30 DRA How He Fits: The Cubs have been in pursuit of long-term rotation pieces for the last three years. That isn’t a secret. Part of their quest culminated in the acquisition of Jose Quintana, but with the […]
Chris Coghlan: Potential Offseason Target
Position: OF 2016 Stats: .188/.290/.310, .222 TAv, -.7 WAR Why he fits: On the surface, Chris Coghlan looks like he had a horrible 2016 season, but really it was a tale of two seasons for him. Heading into the year, Coghlan became a last minute roster casualty to make room for the signing of Dexter […]
Brad Ziegler: Potential Offseason Target
Position: Right-Handed Reliever 2016 Stats: 68 IP, 20.1 K%, 9.0 BB%, 2.25 ERA, 2.99 DRA, 1.5 WARP Why He Fits: Ziegler has been one of the more underrated relievers in baseball for quite some time. The side-winding right-hander made his debut in 2008 with the Oakland A’s, and ever since he’s posted more than 1 WARP in […]
Kenley Jansen: Potential Offseason Target
Position: Closer 2016 Stats: 1.83 ERA, 1.48 FIP, 1.95 DRA, 104/11 K/BB, 2.4 WARP How He Fits: Highlight 2016 Stats. CNTL-C. CNTL-V. Done. Big news, guys. I’ve crunched the numbers, run the simulations, and it turns out that the Cubs can probably find a place for the best relief pitcher in baseball. Kenley Jansen’s statistics […]
Cubs Player Profile: Dexter Fowler, Potential Offseason Target
On the night when Jake Arrieta threw his no-hitter and the Cubs all donned pajamas for the long flight home to Chicago, a lot of players got love for their embrace of Joe Maddon’s favorite shtick. Arrieta himself stole the show, of course, not only with his on-field performance, but with the mustache-covered onesie he […]
Julio Teheran: Potential Offseason Target
Julio Teheran Position: Right-handed Starting Pitcher 2015 Stats: 200.2 IP, 20.3 K%, 8.7 BB%, 2.0 WARP, 4.04 ERA, 4.21 DRA How He Fits: In the last edition of ‘The Beer List,’ my primary assertion was that intelligent front offices must find value wherever it may lie, and then have the courage to leverage those valuable assets when necessary […]
Austin Jackson: Potential Offseason Target
Position: Outfield 2015 Stats: (Cubs & Mariners) 527 PA, .267/.311/.385, 5.5% BB, 23.3% K, 1.7 WARP How He Fits: Austin Jackson came over to the Cubs from the Mariners on August 31st, playing mostly the corner outfield spots for the Cubs in the final month of the season. He earned a spot on the postseason […]