MLB: Top Five Free Agent Destinations for Dexter Fowler

Dexter Fowler led off Wednesday night’s historic World Series Game Seven in grand fashion. But where will the Cubs hero be when the 2017 season begins?

On just the fourth pitch of the game, Dexter Fowler took Corey Kluber deep when he smashed a sinker over the center field wall, giving the Chicago Cubs an early 1-0 lead and becoming the first player in baseball history to lead off a Game 7 of the World Series with a home run.

Fowler’s home run was the beginning of a wild 8-7 extra-inning victory that finally lifted the Cubs over their 108-year title drought – a night no baseball fan will ever forget.

Once the ground ball from the final out in the bottom of the tenth left Kris Bryant‘s hand and cracked the leather of Anthony Rizzo‘s glove, the party officially started for Dexter Fowler, his teammates and perhaps one of the greatest fan bases in the history of sports.

But that final out also signaled free agency for the second consecutive offseason for the 30-year-old Fowler, who let’s not forget nearly left the Cubs last winter to sign with the Baltimore Orioles before returning to the Cubs on a one-year pact. Had he actually put pen to paper in Baltimore, there’s no telling whether or not Cubs would have won the World Series, but my guess is they probably wouldn’t have.

All season long, Fowler proved to be the ultimate table-setter for the Cubs. In 125 regular season games, Fowler slashed .276/.393/.447 with an .840 OPS, 13 stolen bases and 84 runs scored.

In October when it mattered most, Fowler consistently helped put the Cubs in a position to win each and every game, especially in the NLCS when he hit .333 with three doubles, one home run and recorded four RBI while touching home plate himself six times over the course of six games to oust the Los Angeles Dodgers and advance to the World Series.

In seven games against Cleveland, the savvy leadoff hitter batted .233 with two homers, two RBI and nine hits through 31 plate appearances.

Anyway, as Dexter Fowler will take the next few weeks to celebrate this historic feat with his Chicago Cubs teammates and their fans, a ton of teams will start lining up to try to offer a multi-year contract to Fowler and his agent Casey Close.

That said, here are my top five free agent destinations for Dexter Fowler.