Simple Moves Cubs Can Make to Compete in The NL Central in 2021
Seeing the teams in the NL Central are making little effort to contend in 2021, Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts has approved an increased payroll to allow the team to sign more free agents this offseason, according to David Kaplan. Their first move was to sign outfielder Joc Pederson to a one-year, $7 million deal. Of course, that report came just hours before the St. Louis Cardinals made a blockbuster trade for All-Star third baseman, Nolan Arenado. St. Louis managed to net $50 million and parted with no top-5 prospects in the process. Thanks to that massive move, the Cardinals are probably the favorites in the division as of now. But if the Cubs are serious about trying to reach the postseason for the sixth time in seven years, here are a few ways they can improve before Opening Day.
Sign Kolten Wong or Jonathan Villar to play second base. The Cubs love Nico Hoerner, but it's clear he still requires a little more seasoning before his bat is major-league ready. This season should probably see him spending most of his time in Triple-A. There are a handful of solid second base options out there and Wong or Villar would fit exactly what the Cubs are looking for, but in two different ways.
Wong is a stellar defender; he and Javier Baez would make up perhaps the best defensive middle infield in baseball. Strong defense was the Cubs' calling card in 2016 when they finally won it all. That year, they were the best defensive team in baseball by a wide margin. With a now-stellar defensive outfield of Joc Pederson-Ian Happ-Jason Heyward, they could get back to their defensive roots. Wong, of course, is no slouch with a bat either. Villar, on the other hand, would instantly provide the Cubs with a speedy lead-off hitter, the likes of which they haven't had since the days of Juan Pierre. This is an area of need that must be addressed and either of these two guys would fill the spot in splendid fashion.
Sign Jake Odorizzi AND Taijuan Walker. After trading away ace Yu Darvish, Kyle Hendricks is the only proven and dependable starter slated for the team's 2021 rotation. Starting pitching depth is easily the team's biggest weakness right now and they need to add at least one proven arm to the mix. Ideally, they'd add two. Look no further than Odorizzi and Walker, neither of whom will break the bank, but who collectively will help the Cubs shore up their biggest weakness. Odorizzi is from the Chicago suburbs and one would think that would count for something all things equal. He's never quite realized his potential even while serving as a very good No. 3 starter for the Rays and Twins. He would serve the same role with the Cubs. Walker, meanwhile, is a potential breakout candidate. Twitter's resident baseball stat guru, Ryan Spaeder, LOVES Walker andpredicts he's in for a career year in 2021.
Sign Jake McGee AND Alex Colome. To shore up a bullpen with more questions than it has answers, the Cubs need to lock down a few veteran back-end bullpen arms. Enter McGee and Colome, both of who fall under that category. After a couple of down years, McGee bounced back in 24 appearances for the Dodgers a season ago, posting a 2.66 ERA with 33 strikeouts in just 20.1 innings. That kind of strikeout rate will certainly play in the later innings for the Cubs and he would give them a sorely needed lefty in the back end.
Colome could potentially close for the Cubs depending on what they want to do with Craig Kimbrel. It's crazy to say a closer as accomplished as Kimbrel could be replaced in that role, but he hasn't been himself in nearly two seasons with the Cubs. Having Colome and Kimbrel hold down the eighth and ninth innings respectively would allow shuffling and the North Siders would be able to ride the hot hand. Adding Colome to the mix would give manager David Ross some tough decisions to make, but ultimately, it would enable him to be more flexible with his bullpen shuffling, which matters more and more as the season wears on.