Cubs Enter Offseason With Around $120 Million In 2016 Payroll Obligation
(CBS) MLB free agency begins at 11:01 p.m. CT Friday, and the Cubs have made it known they'll be looking to add starting pitching.
It hasn't been revealed what the organization's budget for player payroll is for 2016 -- it was around $120 million on Opening Day in 2015 -- but here's a look at the financial obligations the Cubs currently have before offseason activity gets underway. All told, a rough estimate is that the Cubs enter free agency with $120.7 million in payroll obligation.
That total includes the $13 million of dead money owed to Edwin Jackson, whom the Cubs parted ways with in July. Take away that sunk cost, and the Cubs have around $108 million committed to players who figure to be in the picture.
Contract figures are from Cot's, via Baseball Prospectus. Players who aren't yet arbitration-eligible have had their 2016 salary listed at $600,000 (for simple math purposes), which is near the minimum salary (and ensuing slight increases) that players make before arbitration. Players were included if they're currently a member of the 40-man roster.
Note: Obviously, a team can only trot out a 25-man active roster, so the Opening Day payroll will be different depending on who's added in free agency and which of the 29 players below make the active roster. There's no exact science here, but this gives you a rough estimate of how the Cubs enter the offseason. A notable player or two could leave via trade, and fringe players could be parted with if there's an influx of more young talent from the minor leagues.
Jon Lester: $25 million ($20 million base salary plus $5 million of pro-rated signing bonus)
Miguel Montero: $14 million
*Jake Arrieta: $10.6 million
Jason Hammel: $9 million
Starlin Castro: $7.9 million
*Travis Wood: $6.4 million
Anthony Rizzo: $5.3 million
*Pedro Strop: $4.7 million
*Chris Coghlan: $3.9 million
Jorge Soler: $3.7 million
*Hector Rondon: $3.6 million
David Ross: $2.5 million
*Clayton Richard: $1.1 million
*Justin Grimm: $1.0 million
Kyle Hendricks: $0.6 million
Kyle Schwarber: $0.6 million
Kris Bryant: $0.6 million
Addison Russell: $0.6 million
Javier Baez: $0.6 million
C.J. Edwards: $0.6 million
Tommy La Stella: $0.6 million
Yoervis Medina: $0.6 million
Neil Ramirez: $0.6 million
Zac Rosscup: $0.6 million
Eric Jokisch: $0.6 million
Arismendy Alcantara: $0.6 million
Dallas Beeler: $0.6 million
Matt Szczur: $0.6 million
Christian Villanueva: $0.6 million
* -- Arbitration estimation, courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors.
The Cubs have eight players who have filed for free agency, though one is Dan Haren, who has plans to retire.
