October 27, 2014

2016 PITCHER MARKET

The Cubs real look at solid starting pitching is best viewed in the reality that if the prospects pan out in 2015, then the Cubs will look to shore up the rotation in 2016.

MLBTR lists the current 2016 FA class:

Starting Pitchers
Clay Buchholz (31) – $13MM club option with a $245K buyout
Mark Buehrle (37)
Trevor Cahill (28) – $13MM club option with a $300K buyout
Jhoulys Chacin (28)
Bartolo Colon (43)
Ross Detwiler (30)
R.A. Dickey (41) – $12MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Marco Estrada (32)
Doug Fister (32)
Jaime Garcia (29) – $11.5MM club option with a $500K buyout
Jeremy Guthrie (37) – $10MM mutual option with a $3.2MM buyout
Tim Hudson (40)
Scott Kazmir (32)
Ian Kennedy (31)
Mat Latos (28)
Mike Leake (28)
Tim Lincecum (32)
Kyle Lohse (37)
Corey Luebke (31) – $7.5MM club option with a $1.75MM buyout
Kris Medlen (30)
Bud Norris (31)
Ross Ohlendorf (33)
Mike Pelfrey (32)
Rick Porcello (27)
David Price (30)
Ricky Romero (31) – $13.1MM club option with a $600K buyout
Jeff Samardzija (31)
Alfredo Simon (35)
Jordan Zimmermann (30)

There is clearly more good quantity in this list than in the 2015 free agent class.

Price, Zimmerman, Latos, and Fister are top tier candidates.
Samardzija, Kennedy, Leake, Lincecum, Porcello, Buchholz and Kazmir are second tier candidates that would probably interest the Cubs more than the top liners (in terms of long term investment).
Short term flyers would inlcude Chacin, Detwiler, Medlin and Pelfrey.

If the Cubs are going to spend, this is the market more suitable for their financial restrictions.