The Chicago Cubs are taking heat from fans for deciding not to get involved in the bidding for Tarik Sklubal, the prize of the free-agent market.
The disappointment is understandable: the Cubs desperately need pitching despite reaching the postseason each of the last two seasons, and they watched the rival Milwaukee Brewers win four straight National Central titles despite playing in MLB’s smallest television market.
All five pitchers who finished last season in the Cubs’ rotation are now free agents: left-handers Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and David Peterson, and right-handers Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes. The Cubs also did not have a pitcher record double-digit saves this year, so they need to bolster the back end of the bullpen.
Cubs have many holes in pitching staff
Thus, the Cubs believe they can spend too much money on Skubal, who reportedly is seeking a $450-million contract, with so many holes to fill in the pitching staff. That’s not even mentioning that catcher Carson Kelly, left fielder Ian Happ and right fielder Seiya Suzuki are also free agents.
Then there are injury concerns among the holdover pitchers.
Promising right-hander Ben Brown underwent surgery this week to have a screw inserted into his neck to help speed up the healing of a stress fracture. Right-hander Edward Cabrera was acquired at this year’s trade deadline from the Miami Marlins. Still, blisters on his throwing hand left him ineffective and eventually led to an injured-list stint.
So, it’s the wrong place and the wrong time for Skubal, a two-time Cy Young Award winner, to land with the Cubs. Yet that won’t keep the Cubs from actively searching for pitching help through free agency or trades.
“It’s no secret how many guys are coming off our books from a free-agent perspective,” Cubs GM Carter Hawkins said this week during the MLB General Managers Meeting in Las Vegas, “and then there’s uncertainty around the injuries. So, I think we’re looking to bring in several arms. Now, we’ve got guys who need to step up who are currently with our club. There’s no secret about that, either. But yeah, we’ll be active in that market.”
It just won’t be Skubal.
“We’d love to have a guy like that, but we wouldn’t be able to add anyone else to our rotation, and you better have at t least four reliable starters if you want to win a World Series,” a Cubs’ source told FanSided on the condition of anonymity. “As great as Skubal is, you can’t pitch him every day. You need other guys who give a chance to win, and those pitchers cost money. “
The Cubs look for internal and external pitching help
The Cubs were without two key starters last year as left-hander Justin Steele and right-hander Cade Horton both missed the entire season while recovering from elbow surgery. Steele has been an All-Star, and Horton has that kind of talent. Both will be eased into action next season.
Cabrera raised hopes after being acquired at the trade deadline this past season. He was having a breakthrough season with the Miami and many scouts believe Cabrera has a chance to be a No. 1 starter,
The Dominican Republic native has stayed in Chicago to work with the team’s medical staff. The 28-year-old has developed a strong relationship with Cubs director of pitching strategy Tyler Zombro.
“Those blisters are annoying, but they really impacted his ability,” Hawkins said. “We got to get past that and figure out ways to get that skin tougher. It's like a little thing, but it's a big thing over the course of the year because it affects the consistency of his command, his off-speed stuff, and his fastball. Getting healthy is what's going to allow him to tap into the great talent he has, and so that's a huge focus.”
While the Cubs hope healthier internal options will help solidify their pitching staff, they will certainly have some new arms in the rotation and bullpen when next season begins — whenever it begins, considering a lockout is set for Dec. 1, the day after the collective bargaining between the owners and players is set to expire,
The Cubs would like to bring back Holmes and Peterson and are interested in Japanese right-hander Kaima Taira and domestic righties Freddy Peralta and Michael King as free-agent starters. The Cubs have also been linked in trade rumors with the Seattle Mariners (George Kirby) and the Minnesota Twins (Joe Ryan). The Cubs had a deal in place for Los Angeles Angels lefty Reid Detmers at the deadline, but it fell apart.
“There are a lot of quality pitching options out there to explore,” Hawkins said, “so we are already busy.”
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