There is a new problem that faces the Cubs during their sinking life boat rebuilding program.
The Cubs made a realistic offer of 5 years/$77 million to Tiger starter Anibal Sanchez. The player's agent went back to the Tigers, who upped the ante and kept their player.
This tale of free agent woe has one chilling aspect: agents and/or players don't want to take the Cubs money. The Cubs are currently viewed as not a landing spot but a stepping stone (a well paid rehab stint).
We can infer this from the players the Cubs are able to sign this off-season: players coming off major injuries or currently in rehab. Ian Stewart, Scott Baker and Scott Feldman are prime examples of this M*A*S*H unit blueprint.
It is hard to believe that the Cubs paid more for injury prone Baker and Feldman than what healthy available starters John Lannan and Kevin Corriea received from their teams. Lannan signed a one year $2.5 million (plus $2.5 million incentive deal) with the Phils. Correia signed a 2 year/$10 million deal with the Twins. Clearly, these under the radar, experienced pitchers are exactly the type of pitchers the Cubs were seeking; but they decided to take less money or years to sign elsewhere.
If free agents determine that the Cubs are an organization stuck in reverse for several years, why ruin their statistical careers on a bad team?
And that leads to another growing whisper of concern. The Cubs will have to rely on young players during this transition period. The Cubs front office new signees have been assigned to the low minors, which means three to five years before they are going to reach the majors. In the mean time, the Cubs will have to rely on young players. Young players on bad teams will learn more about "losing" than winning. They get used to losing, especially if there is no real competition for their positions from within the minor league system.
In an effort to rebuild the organization, the Cubs may dig the major league club into a deeper hole of futility.
