General manager Jed Hoyer wouldn't say Wednesday if the Chicago Cubs would tender contracts to all four arbitration-eligible players by Friday night's deadline, but all signs point in that direction.
Those four players _ all pitchers _ contributed to the Cubs' World Series title and could play a significant role in 2017.
The list is headed by pitcher Jake Arrieta, who won 18 games during the regular season and won two World Series games at Cleveland. Arrieta will be pricey, as MLBTradeRumors.com projects Arrieta's 2017 salary at $16.8 million.
With the expected loss of free agent closer Aroldis Chapman, Hector Rondon, Pedro Strop and Justin Grimm are expected to shore up the back end of the bullpen.
Rondon has earned 77 saves over the past three seasons, but a triceps injury limited him to 54 appearances and a 3.53 ERA in 2016. He is projected to earn $5.7 million by the website.
The other arbitration-eligible relievers are Strop and Grimm, who rebounded from a rough first half to post a 2.42 ERA after the All-Star break.
The Cubs could look to bolster their bullpen after examining a list of new free agents involving players who weren't tendered contracts by their former teams.
