The Chicago Cubs‘ front office has made it clear that they intend to add a starting pitcher in free agency this offseason.
And all indications are that the Cubs were among the finalists to sign elite starter Dylan Cease before he agreed to a seven-year, $210 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays last week. Reports said that the Cubs were included in negotiations for Cease until the contract reached the $200 million mark, which Jed Joyer and the rest of the front office clearly believed was too much.
Therefore, the Cubs showed that while they’re very keen on adding an ace-caliber pitcher, they aren’t going to break the bank to bring one on board. Luckily for them, the next five best starters (Framber Valdez, Ranger Suarez, Tatsuya Imai, Michael King, and Zac Gallen) are all expected to sign shorter-term deals and therefore cost less money.