Cubs Rumors: Cubs Connected With Different FA Pitchers

 

The first big free agent signing of the offseason came with Andrew Heaney signing a 1-year deal with the Dodgers, and I can assure you it won't be the last, with the Cubs having their fair share of it as well. The minor league free agency came today, and the Cubs lost 21 guys and retained 10. I'm not really sad about most of them, but surprised by a couple guys they let go. We'll be talking more about minor league and AFL updates in the next article.

The Cubs still need pitchers to fill in the rotation, and right now only Hendricks and Miley are penciled in as definite starters. Mills is definitely an option too, but I think they are trying to move away from soft-throwing pitchers like Mills.

I made my opinion known that the Cubs might be looking for mostly short-term pitchers to fill the rotation well in 2022, and focus on securing position players long-term. Miley was an indication of that possible goal, but the Cubs still need other pitchers to fill it.

There have been some rumors of pitchers the Cubs have been connected with, so we'll go through a few of them.

Jon Gray

He posted an overall 4.59 ERA with the Rockies, and while he has the velocity and strikeouts the Cubs are looking for, the homers and hard hit balls is what did him in. He allowed 140 H and 21 HR in 149 IP, so certainly a somewhat high number, and also somewhat of a problem, but he also had 157 K, which shows he can have good stuff.

The Cubs have been rumored for a little while now to be "interested" in Gray, and I can see them possibly targeting him with the hopes that his strikeout stuff and velocity will help bolster the rotation. The 21 homers allowed are concerning, but we have to remember that he pitched a ton at Coors Field, a hitters friendly stadium that is smaller than most.

I'm inclined to believe that if the Cubs were going to make an offer to him, that it would be a short term offer, probably 1 or possibly 2 years. He is not an expensive pitcher as well, being paid about $6M in 2021, which would be another reason in targeting him.

My opinion on him is to only target him if they can't get any better lower-cost pitchers. He has potential, but it is hard to say how he would do in 2022.

Steven Matz

A somewhat surprising breakout with the Blue Jays this past year gave him a 3.82 ERA with 144 K in 150 IP. He struggled quite a bit with the Mets in prior years, but this year he really stepped up and became a solid rotation arm. Baseball Reference predicts his stats will even out some in 2022, giving him a 4.37 ERA. Of course, that is just a prediction, and he may end up being a great pitcher, but given past struggles, it is somewhat likely.

Rumors lately have the Cubs connected with Steven Matz, which would be a similar scenario as Gray. He is relatively low-cost, he was paid 5.2 M in 2021, and is a somewhat high-risk, but possibly great pitcher. 

It again shows the kind of pitchers the Cubs are wanting to target: short-term, lower-cost, somewhat risky pitchers that have the ability to have great stuff. I'm not saying every pitcher they are going to get is going to be like this, but at least another one is going to be.

Matz has good strikeouts and velocity- characteristics the Cubs are looking for, but he also gave up a lot of hits this past year, which is not necessarily good, but he managed to keep most of them from scoring. So, overall, I think he's a good pitcher to target, but not a No.1 pitcher...that will have to be someone else.

Kevin Gausman

Now for a pitcher that is expensive, and good reason why. Gausman was one of the Giants' aces this past year, posting a 2.81 ERA with 227 K in 192 IP. I see good stuff all around his stats, great strikeouts, great durability, and the ability to be a No.1 pitcher.

Gausman is the kind of ace the Cubs should look into too. I have a feeling the Cubs will only be getting one really good pitcher, and I know Stroman is a possibility as well, but it's probably going to come down to between him and Gausman. 

The Cubs have been rumored to be in the mix for Gausman according to insider Mark Feinsand, along with other teams such as Giants, Mets, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Angels, Mariners, and Astros. It is nice to think about it as a possibility, because I think it is, but there will definitely be some competition.

Gausman would bring durability and consistency to the rotation, both of which was missing in 2021. He can easily be the Cubs' ace, and I can see them signing him to a 3-5 year deal. I think the Cubs will be targeting only ace pitcher and signing him longer-term, and it is a good possibility that Gausman could be the one.

In summary, the Cubs can use another "short-term, lower-cost, somewhat risky pitchers that have the ability to have great stuff" kind of pitcher, possibly Matz or Gray, and an ace pitcher like Gausman to completely fill in the rotation.

I'm not necessarily saying those are the only options, but the latest rumors show those are definitely possibilities, and would be the kind of players they are targeting.

Anyway, that's all for today, so have a great day and follow Cubbies Gazette for the latest Cubs news!