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It took four years for the Chicago Cubs to rebuild from the ground up in 2012 and they won the World Series. The front office has promised a quicker process. The first step in fulfilling that commitment was taken Wednesday, when they signed Marcus Stroman to a three-year, $71 million contract.
One of the better pitchers was 30-year-old Marcus Stroman. In Chicago, he'll join Kyle and Wade in a new Cubs rotation. The rotation is better today than it was yesterday, but they still don't have an ace.
The Cubs' expectations of their place in the larger baseball landscape were underscored by the fact that the deal includes an opt-out after two seasons. If you're not trying to win, why spend that much?
As he builds the next great Cubs team, the President of Baseball Operations claims he wants to be quick and calculated. In that way, he is a good fit for the plan. He'll make a high annual salary but it's not a long commitment if he opts out. Both free agents, Kevin Gausman andRobbie Ray, signed five-year deals. Since he ripped the band-aid off the group that won him and the organization a World Series in 2016, he has preferred to call it a mini-retool.
With stars like Anthony Rizzo, Javy Baez, Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber gone, Hoyer has a clean slate to work with. He has committed to doing it slowly, despite the fact that he still has a lot of holes to fill. The Cubs aren't going to buy themselves a title. This will be one piece at a time. It is a good place to start.
If a couple of young players take the next step and the team is competitive in the very near future, they have a good pitcher to lead them. If not, the deal will be over quickly and the next one can be found. The veteran right hander gives the team the ability to be more competitive than they were to end last season.
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There are still questions in the rotation. Adbert Alzolay, Justin Steele, and Keegan Thompson are some of the younger players that the Cubs will look to. The additions are probably not enough to win a championship, but they are a start.
The Cubs have players who should improve. Nick Madrigal, acquired in the Craig Kimbrel trade, is a contact machine. So is infielder/outfielder. Patrick Wisdom and Frank Schwindel were nice storylines in 2021, but the team still lacks star players. Signing Carlos Correa would be a clear sign that the Cubs are moving quickly, but there's been no indication that they'll use that heavily in the free agent pool. Right now, they probably don't want to give out a huge commitment because of the desire of Correa.
The organization would spend this summer, so the early deals for catchers were no surprise. But Stroman is signaling a bigger expenditure. He is the first player to sign a three-plus year deal since Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood. The Cubs want to be competitive again.
This move feels like the right start to the plan, and the key is the length of the contract. The Cubs have a good pitcher who will allow them to follow through on their goals.
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