Chicago Cubs Rumors: Seven possible free agent options this offseason
By Paul Ashley
The Chicago Cubs set a new franchise payroll record as they almost touched the $200 million mark.
According to Spotrac, the Cubs put together a $195 million payroll last season. Their previous payroll record occurred during the 2016 season when they reached the $184 million mark. Although a franchise payroll record was worth it that season (as the organization captured a World Series championship for the first time since 1908), it was not worth it last season as the team fell short of preseason expectations.
Nonetheless, as the Cubs ranked third in the entire MLB by generating $2.9 billion in revenue, the fan base deserves a competitive team, regardless of the cost. Although the organization reached new payroll heights last season, they may need to increase the payroll even further if they plan on pursuing the top free agents on the market this offseason.
Looking ahead, the Cubs currently have $165.5 million committed to their roster for next season. After factoring in the estimated cost of arbitration raises, their payroll will roughly increase to $208.5 million, which will once again set a new franchise payroll record.
A large reason for why the payroll is approaching new heights is the cost of the starting rotation. Jon Lester is currently scheduled to earn $27.5 million next season, Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish are both scheduled to earn $20 million, Tyler Chatwood is scheduled to earn $12.5 million, Jose Quintana is scheduled to earn $10.5 million, and Kyle Hendricks is estimated to receive $7.6 million through his arbitration raise.
With roughly 47% of the payroll ($98.1 million) set aside for the starting rotation alone, it is very unlikely that the team will go after any of the top free agent starters during this current offseason. However, with Hamels, Ben Zobrist, Pedro Strop, Steve Cishek, Brandon Kintzler, and Brian Duensing all entering the final seasons of their current deals, the Cubs may be willing to shatter their payroll record for the right players.
As the Cubs currently only have $82 million committed for 2020 ($121 after arbitration estimates) due to these expiring contracts, the following are seven free agents that could find their way into Wrigleyville for the 2019 season and beyond.