MLB Chicago Cubs

Examining How the Chicago Cubs Look as a Free Agent Destination in 2015

Fresh Videos

By

Theo Epstein, and Tom Ricketts

Tommy Giglio-USA TODAY Sports

President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein of the Chicago Cubs has expressed his interest in addressing a number of his team’s needs through free agency this offseason. However, does Chicago look attractive enough to compete with other teams when trying to sign potential free agents? The Cubs ran into this problem last year when they were unable to sign free agent Masahiro Tanaka, who if not for an arm injury could very well be the best pitcher signed last offseason. The Cubs were unable to convince him to come to their town, so what are some differences between this year and last year?

For starters, Chicago’s young players actually produced. Anthony Rizzo broke out in spectacular fashion and Starlin Castro got back to the form we saw him in his rookie and sophomore seasons. The number of top prospects called up also makes Chicago a very interesting team to play against in 2015. They are finally starting to reap the rewards of having one of the top farm systems in baseball. This step forward in player development makes the team look a million times more likely to be successful, compared to what their chances looked like last year.

Secondly, Epstein is going all in, firing manager Rick Renteria in favor of Joe Maddon, showing the free-agent market that he was not joking when he said that he believes the Cubs can contend next season. It is a lot easier to get a player to sign the dotted line when players know they are coming to play for a manager who led a small-market team to four 90-win seasons in a row. If that doesn’t make the team seem like a legitimate contender, I’m not sure what will.

Matthew Haines is a Chicago Cubs writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @mhaine86 , “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.

Share Tweet
Trending Now on