Levine: Cubs Must Decide How To Spend Upgraded Payroll
By Bruce Levine--
BOCA RATON, Fla. (CBS) -- The Cubs must decide how to spend their newfound dollars wisely this offseason as the general manager meetings open up Monday here in Boca Raton. Coming off of a surprising 97-win season, the franchise sold 300,000 more tickets in 2015 than the previous season, with the club back to the three-million mark in attendance.
All of this means the Cubs should have an increase of at least 20 to 30 percent over last season in payroll flexibility. The Cubs have close to $75 million in contracts that are owed for next year, and that's before arbitration. After that, the front office will likely have just more than $100 million in payroll commitment before it spends a penny this month and moving forward.
Given that the Cubs will have a spending limit of around $30 million for new players, how will that cash best be spent? A rumored foray at signing top free-agent pitcher David Price might eat up all of the offseason cash available for the team with one move.
President of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer have been to this open market sale before. Signing left-hander Jon Lester to the highest-priced contract in franchise history last December was the beginning of a new phase for the front office that arrived in October 2011. The money made through new ticket sales and postseason revenue will be there to spend for the Cubs. How creative they will be remains to be seen, as there's the option to backload contracts for later years when more revenue is expected to pour into the franchise with a new television contract upcoming in the future and the renovation of Wrigley Field and the surrounding area.
The trap for all baseball bosses is free-agent pitching. Lester was good for the Cubs in 2015. He didn't miss a single start, taking the hill 32 times in the regular season. Lester didn't win as many games as he or the team wanted -- he was 11-12 -- but he consistently kept Chicago in games and posted a 3.34 ERA, lower than his 3.55 career mark.
Adding a pitcher like Price would make the Cubs the favorite to win the competitive National League Central in 2016. Still, adding a quality pitcher or two at a lesser cost of something like $17 million to $20 million per year -- pitchers like right-hander Jordan Zimmermann or right-hander Jeff Samardzija -- would give the Cubs more depth and payroll latitude moving ahead. Many believe Price will command a contract around $30 million annually for six or seven years, and he and the Cubs are believed to have mutual interest.
Trading a middle infielder or outfielder could also net the Cubs a pitcher back who would cost significantly less. The Indians and Padres are good matches for the Cubs. The idea that second baseman/shortstop Starlin Castro and outfielder Jorge Soler may bring you back a top-of-the-rotation pitcher is worth exploring and arguably the best way to go.
San Diego right-hander Tyson Ross, 28, has two years remaining of arbitration. He will probably make around $10 million in 2016. The Padres are looking to upgrade their infield.
Cleveland right-hander Carlos Carrasco, 28, has three years remaining on a club-favorable four-year, $22-million contract. The Indians must add right-handed power.
The Cubs will look at all avenues of adding pitching while in south Florida. Their pursuit of pitching depth will likely take them well past the three days of meetings here and into the dead of winter.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.
