Dec. 05--The Cubs wound up signing John Lackey on Friday instead of shelling out more than $200 million for David Price or Zack Greinke, saving a ton of money they now can put toward other needs.
It makes perfect sense from a financial standpoint, though it's hard to get too excited about the fact the Cubs are shopping at Costco instead of Neiman Marcus.
Referring to their failed pursuit of Price, who signed a $217 million, seven-year deal with the Red Sox, Cubs President Theo Epstein told beat writers the team "couldn't compete" with the Red Sox from a payroll standpoint.
A few hours after Epstein talked payroll, the Diamondbacks, who have a $1.5 billion TV deal, shocked the baseball world with a six-year, $206.5 million deal for Greinke, who will be 37 at the end of his contract. The Cubs won't get their new TV deal until after 2019.
Whether Lackey, 37, is a bargain at $32 million over two years is debatable, but he does have World Series experience and is coming off a season in which he posted a career-low 2.77 ERA in a league-leading 33 starts with the Cardinals.
If he can repeat that in 2016, no one will be fretting over missing out on a starter in his prime such as Price or Greinke, especially if the money saved is used to bring in a hitter who can play center field and lead off. The Cubs also intend to find another starter, whether it's a free agent or via trade, and could use some bench help.
The offseason is young and the winter meetings are coming, so let's sit back and see what else Epstein has up his sleeve.
Just a hunch, but I believe there's another Red Sox refugee out there waiting to become a Cub.
Dysfunction junction: The made-for-You Tube moment in late September when closer Jonathan Papelbon wrapped his hands around Bryce Harper's neck became the lasting memory of the Nationals' 2015 season.
The Nationals went into the season as one of the favorites to win it all based on the offseason addition of starter Max Scherzer to an already-loaded rotation. But they ultimately became a case study in how a team can implode publicly and spoil its postseason dreams, no matter how much talent is in the clubhouse.
After dumping manager Matt Williams and replacing him with veteran Dusty Baker, the Nationals are seeking to change the culture that led to their downfall.
