What’s next for the Chicago Cubs?
What do you do after you just win one of, if not the best World Series game 7 in MLB history? Not much you can do but celebrate and reload. This is where the mastermind of GM Theo Epstein will come into play. The Cubs won the World Series but they could have easily lost it as well. Do they have the necessary weapons needed to make another run or will they fall victim to winner’s remorse and flop in 2017?
Here are 3 offseason moves the Chicago Cubs must make to repeat.
Dexter Fowler:
Fowler has stated he will become a free agent this offseason and the Cubs keeping him in Chicago is a must. His offense could be better but the Cubs need that veteran presence in the outfield. Will he give the team a hometown discount? In 2016 he took home $9M but this was before an All-Star berth and a championship ring. Everything changes once winning comes into the picture. How much are the Cubs willing to pay for a .276 BA, 48 RBIs, and 126 hits? It’s his defense that makes him great but can the Cubs pull off another move if Fowler gets a higher offer elsewhere? Epstein can play on the, “we have the chance to build a dynasty” card and see if that works and maybe offer him a 2-year team friendly deal. But there are not too many great players on the free agent market for next year.
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Aroldis Chapman:
Doesn’t matter what he almost blew in Game 7. Without him, there would be no World Series berth. That’s how much he means to this team. He is by far the best closer in the game and if the Cubs are looking to repeat, he must stay on the South Side. You cannot let a player that gave up only 10 ER in 59 games walk out the door. He’s the 2nd highest paid closer at $11.3M and while his asking price will surely increase, the Cubs must be willing to give him whatever he wants. You see the New York Yankees never let Mariano Rivera walk, no matter his age. Chapman deserves the money he will seek and the Cubs must be willing to give him that. Remember, when they didn’t have him, they got ousted. With him, champs.
Jason Heyward:
If Epstein has any brains he will find a team that he can sucker into taking this disgrace of a baseball player off his hands. Heyward has been a bust since coming to Chicago. He’s had his moments here and there but when you are replaced in the World Series, it’s over for you. Winning cures everything they say but nothing can cure a season with a BA of .230, 49 RBIs and 61 runs scored. To make matters worse, was his play during the entire playoffs. It’s as if he wasn’t there for the Cubs. He didn’t cost them the series or anything but he didn’t help the cause either. There is a team out there willing to give him a try. He’s still only 26 years old and has a ton of baseball left, but it’s not with the Cubs.
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