REAL FREE AGENT PITCHER LIST

It is beginning to dawn on many that the Cubs need to temper expectations for 2015. Yes, the Kids may be able to play, but maybe not.  Until the "business" side, i.e. Ricketts, is assured that the kids can play, there will be no free-wheeling free agent spending on pitchers.

The MLBTR current free agent list is out. However, "realistically" the type of players that the Cubs may have a chance of signing is very limited:

Starting Pitchers

Mark Buehrle (37)
Jhoulys Chacin (28)
Bartolo Colon (43)
Ross Detwiler (30)
Marco Estrada (32)
Doug Fister (32)
Tim Hudson (40)
Scott Kazmir (32)
Ian Kennedy (31)
Mat Latos (28)
Mike Leake (28)
Tim Lincecum (32)
Kyle Lohse (37)
Kris Medlen (30)
Bud Norris (31)
Ross Ohlendorf (33)
Mike Pelfrey (32)
Rick Porcello (27)
David Price (30)
Jeff Samardzija (31)
Alfredo Simon (35)
Jordan Zimmermann (30)

Players with strike-throughs project to long term, big money deals with competitive clubs or too old to spend money to wait three years for the rest of the team to catch up in skill level.

Even then, change of scenery pitchers like Lincecum will probably command much more than the Cubs are willing to offer a failed starter. Second tier guys like Detwiler, Estrada, Leak and Ohlendorf may get short term deals in order to get rotation starts to get to a competitive team by July, 2015 (see, the Feldman-Hammel signings).

But no one on this list appear to be long term solutions for the rebuilding Cubs.