Winners and losers of the 2015 MLB Winter Meetings

Winner – Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs made a big jump in 2015, channeling their assembled youth into a winning machine that fell just short of a World Series berth. That youth not only gives them a solid base to build from going forward, but gives the club immense financial flexibility to attend to other needs.

The Cubs took that flexibility to Nashville with them and made a couple of very wise, very solid veteran additions by plucking free agents John Lackey and Ben Zobrist off the market.

Lackey’s two-year deal gives the rotation another solid arm to push them forward. The team needed a middle of the rotation arm that could slot in behind Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester, and Lackey’s average annual rate of $16 million doesn’t bust the bank in a market where pitchers are getting decidedly more. The right-hander showed he still has a lot in the tank after going 13-10 with a 2.77 ERA, a 3.57 FIP, and a 7.2 K/9 ratio at 36-years-old.

Meanwhile, Zobrist is the value add player that championship teams pick up to put them over the edge (see Royals, Kansas City). With the super-utility player likely settling in mostly at second base again, he can give the team focus and help protect against sophomore slide by all the rookies.

Just when you thought the Cubs were done, they made the next key move, swapping shortstop/second baseman Starlin Castro with the Yankees in exchange for Adam Warren. The 27-year-old is a valuable depth add for both the rotation and the bullpen, giving Chicago the next piece of the championship puzzle.

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