We all expected that the Cubs would focus in on second tier players. The Cubs are not in the position to contend, so many free agents will follow the money to a competitive team.
So the Cubs have been on a mission to sign injured pitchers with the hope of a lasting turnaround. Management views Tommy John surgeries like a clean fracture that will heal quickly and properly.
But the rumblings around the web recently is that the business side of Cubland has stalled out; that the push to get people on the waiting list to buy season ticket packages is not going well. It is not difficult to explain. People are not going to pay top dollar in a weak employment market for marginal entertainment value with no secondary resale market for the tickets if you cannot use them. The Cubs need to put the appearance of a competitive team on the field in order to generate interest and ticket sales. Gone are the days of automatic sell-outs no matter what the Cubs were doing in the standings.
In some ways, the Cubs are reverting back to the small market team dynamic.
This morning, it is reported that the Cubs will sign ex-Blue Jay Carlos Villaneuva to a two year, $10 million deal. Villanueva, 29, pitched to a 4.16 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 in
125 1/3 innings spread across 16 starts and 22 relief appearances for
the Blue Jays last season. He's made 29 starts and 42 relief appearances
over the last two seasons. Last season he went 7-7 in 125. 1 IP, 113 H, 23 HR allowed, 46 BB, 122 K, 1.269 WHIP and 1.2 WAR. He is the typical 6th starter, long reliever. But on the Cubs, he is probably the 4th starter.
There is also news that the Cubs have the best offer on the table for Edwin Jackson, a 4 year/$52 million deal. This seems low for a player like Jackson. He has been a workmanlike innings eater in his career. He has a bad clubhouse reputation, but when he was with the White Sox he was a quiet professional. He has been on seven teams in his 10 year career. Last season with the Nationals, he went 10-11, 4.03 ERA in 189.2 IP, 1.218 WHIP and 0.4 WAR. Last year he made $11 million. He would be looking for a good raise in his next contract.
The reason the Cubs are now aggressive in trying to sign pitchers like Anibal Sanchez and Edwin Jackson is that a) they are under 30 years old, and b) they have the career stats to flip at the trading deadline for more prospects since Epstein does not give no-trade deals to his players as a matter of policy. But it is clear that top tier pitchers like Sanchez will listen to the Cubs offer, then take it to a contending team for a counter (like the Tigers did.)
But the Cubs need to make some waves this off-season because it is unclear how Scott Baker and Scott Feldman will perform in April. Matt Garza is also rehabbing from his mid-season injury. To add proven starters to the roster is needed to hedge the prospect that some of the current rotation will not be ready on Opening Day.
