Levine: Jon Jay Signing Just The Beginning For New Cubs' Additions

By Bruce Levine--

(CBS) Moving away from their lead-off man of the last two seasons, the Cubs on Tuesday signed veteran outfielder Jon Jay to a one-year, $8-million deal. This move underlines the fact that the Cubs front office isn't going to bid up incumbent center fielder Dexter Fowler's offseason goal of getting a contract of four or five years as a free agent.

To be clear, Fowler was as important a cog to winning as nearly any other player as the Cubs piled up 200 victories across the past two seasons. He was a terrific performer, and the Cubs front office would've most likely brought him back for two seasons.

However, the overall game of Fowler, who turns 31 in March, left something to be desired when projected out further into the future. Durability has been an issue for Fowler throughout his career -- he has averaged 131 games over his eight full MLB seasons and missed 37 games in 2016 -- and that only gets tougher to project three or four years down the line as a player enters his mid-30s.

Defensively, he was often a tad below in the range metrics, though he was better in 2016 after the coaching staff had him play deeper. While he wasn't asked to run much with MVP Kris Bryant and slugger Anthony Rizzo behind him, Fowler's base-stealing has also fallen off, with 13 steals in 17 attempts last season.

On top of all that, with a weak free-agent market, Fowler will get a long-term commitment from a team that will anticipate the same .393 on-base percentage that he put up in 2016. It's a commitment the Cubs would worry about.

With the addition of Jay for one season, the Cubs have added a player with a left-handed bat and a solid on-base percentage of .352 for his career. The move allows the 22-year-old Albert Almora to grow into the center field position as a platoon player to begin the 2017 campaign. Jay is also a solid defender with a career .996 fielding percentage in center field.

The signing of Jay will also free up a possible move of corner outfielder Jorge Soler as a part of a package for some much-needed starting pitching depth. The Tampa Rays are in need of offensively gifted young players who they can control under a reasonable contract. Soler would fit that bill for them.

Chicago let No. 5 starter Jason Hammel walk in free agency, and Tampa has two pitchers would slot well in the rotation: 27-year-old right-hander Jake Odorizzi and 28-year-old Chris Archer. Either could be had in a properly packaged deal.

Odorizzi has three years of contract control and arbitration remaining. He has a lifetime 3.75 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 8.3 K/9 rate. He was 10-6 with a 3.69 ERA last season.

The crown jewel for the Cubs would be reacquiring Archer, the power pitcher whom they dealt as the centerpiece of a 2011 deal that brought Matt Garza to Chicago. Archer has a reasonable contact that averages $6.3 million over the next three years and includes team options of $9 million in 2020 and $11 million in 2021.

Archer tied for second in the American League with 233 strikeouts in 2016 and posted a 4.02 ERA. He also led the league in losses with a 9-19 record, though that's a deceiving statistic given that Tampa had the AL's second-worst offense. Archer has a lifetime 3.51 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 9.3 K/9 rate.

The Cubs are after young pitching under contract control with both right-hander Jake Arrieta and right-hander John Lackey eligible for free agency in November 2017. Adding one of these desirable young Tampa pitchers would be a strong offseason statement by the World Series champions.

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.