Back for another installment of my MLB Offseason Breakdown for the 2020 season. If you are new here, what I do is write about all the acquisitions and losses the team had, my projected lineups and rotations, grade for the offseason, and my prediction for the team in the 2020 season. Let’s get into it.
Acquisitions and Loses:
RF Nick Castellanos signs a 4 year $64 million contract with Cincinnati
The Cubs decided not to bring back their biggest pick up from last year’s trade deadline and I don’t see why they did not want to bring him back. Castellanos had one of his best seasons with the Tigers and Cubs where he hit .289 and had a career year in home runs, runs, doubles, slugging percentage, and OPS. Good pick-up for the Reds.
LHP Cole Hamels signs a 1 year $18 million contract with Atlanta
This time, Chicago did not bring back one of their biggest trade pick-ups from the 2018 trade deadline. This time I agree with the Cubs not bringing back their player because Hamles has been very inconsistent the past couple years of his career and got a big bag of money from Atlanta. |
RHP Steve Cishek signed a 1 year $6 million contract with the White Sox
Cishek goes to the cross-town rivals and anytime you lose a guy like him, your bullpen will get worse. Cishek is one of the more underrated bullpen pitchers in the MLB as he can really help your bullpen out.
RHP Brandon Kintzler signs a 1 year $3.25 million contract with Miami
The Cubs lose another bullpen pitcher and this was another weird move by the Cubs. Kintzler had one of his best seasons in the major leagues last year posting a career-low 2.68 ERA in 57 innings pitched.
Projected Lineup:
C: Willson Contreras
1B: Anthony Rizzo
2B: Nico Hoerner
3B: Kris Bryant
SS: Javier Baez
LF: Kyle Schwarber
CF: Ian Happ
RF: Jason Heyward
Projected Rotation
1. Jon Lester
2. Yu Darvish
3. Kyle Hendricks
4. Jose Quintana
5. Tyler Chatwood
Offseason Grade: F
2020 Prediction:
The Cubs still have a very talented team. Rizzo, Bryant, and Baez are some of the best players in the MLB but their biggest weakness comes in pitching. Of the 5 starting pitchers listed above, the one with the best ERA is Kyle Hendricks whos ERA was at 3.46. I see the Cubs missing the playoffs once again this season as they will finish 4th in a stacked NL Central.
Previous Offseason Breakdowns:
MLB 2020 Offseason Breakdown: Arizona Diamondbacks
MLB 2020 Offseason Breakdown: Atlanta Braves
MLB 2020 Offseason Breakdown: Baltimore Orioles
MLB 2020 Offseason Breakdown: Boston Red Sox
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