Dexter Fowler gives Chicago OBP at the top of the lineup and gives Maddon the flexibility to mix and match in myriad ways.
Why David Ross and, more interestingly, why not Welington Castillo?
It can be difficult for two teams to balance the value of a pitcher with his impending free agency.
The Royals add another aging bat, the Marlins hope a move to first keeps Morse healthy, the Rockies add bench depth, the Yankees keep some rotation depth, the Cubs and Orioles build pen depth, and a low-risk, but possibly not-so-high-reward arm, lands in San Diego.
The league might be catching up to the inefficiency in non-player compensation.
After finishing second in a number of high-end free agent pursuits, the front office lands Jon Lester. That should help them snap another string of disappointing finishes.
A couple of the mid-afternoon moves from Tuesday’s winter meetings.
While the world watches Lester, the Cubs fill in the middle of their rotation.
Two years after an anomalous bottoming out came the anomalous career year for baseball’s next $100 million free agent.
The Blue Jays, not the Cubs, sign Russell Martin; The Cubs, not the Braves, now employ Tommy La Stella.
The return of the offseason Rumor Roundup: News on Russell Martin, Torri Hunter, and Hisashi Iwakuma.
Arguably the best system in all of baseball, with multiple elite talents heading the list and plenty of high-ceiling depth scattered throughout.
The Cubs have work to do, to be sure, but Joe Maddon’s arrival is the clearest sign yet that the next era is here.
“Will not lead a staff but is a solid depth piece for most teams.”
Players respond to adversity differently under different managers. We brought numbers.
Chicago Cubs