1 free agent every team that whiffed on Shohei Ohtani must sign

Cubs should solidify rotation with Blake Snell signing

The Cubs stand to lose Marcus Stroman, which creates uncertainty around new manager Craig Counsell's pitching staff. There isn't a better bullpen manager in the MLB, but Chicago only has one All-Star starter in Justin Steele. If the Cubs want to take the next step, depth and talent on the pitching front has to improve.

A lot of attention has been paid to 25-year-old Yoshinobu Yamamoto from Japan, and rightfully so, but Blake Snell is probably the best pitcher left on the market right now. The 30-year-old is coming off his second Cy Young win, posting a 14-9 record with a 2.25 ERA and 1.189 WHIP in 32 starts for the San Diego Padres.

His contract could comfortably exceed $200 million, a pill the Cubs should gladly swallow given Snell's strong track record and unhittable stuff. Snell landed in the 98th percentile for whiff percentage (37.3) and the 94th percentile for strikeout percentage (31.5) last season. He gets batters swinging early and often, overpowering them with 95.5 MPH heat and still encouraging soft contact (83rd percentile with 33.8 hard-hit percentage).

The walk problems are pronounced — he led the MLB with 99 bases on balls last season — but Snell's performance is otherwise hard to poke holes in. The Cubs need a proper No. 1 ace to lead their postseason charge. Snell has the ability to out-pitch everybody on any given night. He would help Chicago fans dull the keen sting of missing out on heavy hitters like Ohtani or Juan Soto.