Some notes from intrepid Chicago Cubs beat guy Patrick Mooney, who is a must-follow:
Theo doubts #Cubs can sign two free agents in the $100-million range: "We have to get creative." https://t.co/VrLFrLYYuC
— Patrick Mooney (@CSNMooney) November 10, 2015
We kind of figured that the Cubs wouldn’t blow their wad on free agency just because they can, and that their funds weren’t unlimited. Theo’s quote suggests that the Cubs will broach this subject, and will try to get as creative as they did with Jon Lester‘s contract when he was signed last winter. The fact that most of Max Scherzer‘s contract is deferred until the end of time gives one a bit of hope that other free agents would be okay with this as long as they get that $200MM all told. And as is this front office’s modus operandi, they’re going to do their due diligence with everyone:
#Cubs planning to sit down with the agents for David Price, Zack Greinke and Jordan Zimmermann during this week's GM meetings in Boca Raton.
— Patrick Mooney (@CSNMooney) November 10, 2015
Two of these have been mentioned by Andy already as pitching options, and we know that because Zack Greinke and Jordan Zimmermann have been extended the qualifying offer (and are expected to reject it), they will be tied to draft pick compensation, which is not the biggest consideration for the FO. We also know that recently, it was announced that Lance Lynn will undergo Tommy John Surgery…
#STLCards Lance Lynn undergoes Tommy John surgery: Three things to know https://t.co/cTg1CjXVch pic.twitter.com/7bWiDrJaRL
— CBS Sports MLB (@CBSSportsMLB) November 10, 2015
…which means the St. Louis Cardinals will probably also be looking for pitching in addition to trying to retain Jason Heyward. So the Cubs certainly have competition for the big boys. I don’t think we should have major hopes that the Cubs will outbid the field on a mega-contract, but we should be very glad that they’re looking, and that they’ve proven that they can be extremely creative.
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