Chicago Cubs: Four free agent options to strengthen the starting rotation
By Nick Stevens
The Chicago Cubs have plenty of options to strengthen the backend of their starting rotation in 2021.
If the Chicago Cubs are able to repeat as National League Central Division champions in 2021, they will do so relying heavily on their starting rotation.
Lineup issues and questions aside, Chicago’s rotation was a strength in 2020 and figures to be even more so next season.
Yu Darvish finished second in NL Cy Young voting after going 8-3 with a 2.01 ERA and 93 strikeouts in 76 innings, Kyle Hendricks also received Cy Young votes with his impressive 2020 campaign which featured a 64/8 K/BB ratio, and rookie Adbert Alzolay showed promise in his six appearances, posting a 2.95 ERA and striking out 29 hitters in 21+ innings.
The Cubs will also look to rely on Alec Mills again who proved to be a reliable backend of the rotation piece, logging just under 6 IP/GS last season.
With the departures of Jon Lester, Jose Quintana, and Tyler Chatwood, tightening up the backend of the rotation will be a focal point of the Chicago Cubs this offseason. Luckily for Chicago, there are plenty of potentially high-upside options the team could look to sign this offseason as much of the expected limited free agent spending resources are allocated to improving the batting order.
Here are four free agent starting pitching options the Chicago Cubs should target.
RHP Jake Odorizzi is a quality rebound candidate for the Chicago Cubs.
With Kevin Gausman and Marcus Stroman accepting the qualifying offer and removing themselves from the market, the list of top available pitching free agents is pretty slim, meaning the possibility of prices going up for some arms. Former Minnesota Twins starter Jake Odorizzi could be one of those arms.
MLBTradeRumors.com predicts a three-year/$39 million deal for Odorizzi in free agency, which may be a bit much for the Chicago Cubs, but let’s kick off this list with the 30-year-old veteran as a possible target.
Back and abdomen injuries, along with blisters, kept Odorizzi shelved for much of the season, making just four starts for the Twins last season. However, he was worth a combined 6.9 fWAR in his first two seasons in Minnesota, including a 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA season in 2019.
Odorizzi has swing and miss stuff and maintained his velocity bump from 2019 and he’s been relatively healthy across his career. His 2020 season can probably be chalked up as just that…2020. If Chicago wants to be aggressive with solidifying their rotation, Odorizzi would be a great choice.