This article is part of our Farm Futures series.
The Cubs are the most intriguing team in baseball.
This does not seem to be very debatable, and it's a notion I happen to agree with, but it's an interesting concept nonetheless.
They do not have the best player in baseball, or even a top-10 player, and have not made the playoffs since 2008. Yes, they play in a historic ballpark, but so do the Red Sox and Dodgers, and those teams can reasonably be projected to win 10-15 more games than the Cubs this year. (I might add that while Wrigley Field is historic, there's no denying that it is a dump on a level matched perhaps only by O.co Coliseum in Oakland).
One could argue that the reason the Cubs are so intriguing is that they have the best farm system. Still, when teams like the Astros, Royals and Brewers had the best farm systems, nobody would have argued that those teams were the most intriguing team in the sport. Young talent that has yet to prove itself at the big league level is typically more a niche interest for a fraction of baseball fans, so that alone cannot explain why the Cubs seem poised to be the most talked about team for the remainder of the decade.
However, there does seem to be a perfect storm of factors that lead to fascination with this team.
They have a rockstar manager in Joe Maddon, who not only is a darling amongst analytically-minded fans and writers, but he is
The Cubs are the most intriguing team in baseball.
This does not seem to be very debatable, and it's a notion I happen to agree with, but it's an interesting concept nonetheless.
They do not have the best player in baseball, or even a top-10 player, and have not made the playoffs since 2008. Yes, they play in a historic ballpark, but so do the Red Sox and Dodgers, and those teams can reasonably be projected to win 10-15 more games than the Cubs this year. (I might add that while Wrigley Field is historic, there's no denying that it is a dump on a level matched perhaps only by O.co Coliseum in Oakland).
One could argue that the reason the Cubs are so intriguing is that they have the best farm system. Still, when teams like the Astros, Royals and Brewers had the best farm systems, nobody would have argued that those teams were the most intriguing team in the sport. Young talent that has yet to prove itself at the big league level is typically more a niche interest for a fraction of baseball fans, so that alone cannot explain why the Cubs seem poised to be the most talked about team for the remainder of the decade.
However, there does seem to be a perfect storm of factors that lead to fascination with this team.
They have a rockstar manager in Joe Maddon, who not only is a darling amongst analytically-minded fans and writers, but he is also the kind of guy who buys a beer and a shot for the beat writers following his hiring press conference. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein is an immortal name in today's game after bringing the Red Sox their first championship in 86 years back in 2004 at the age of 30, and he has a certain charismatic swagger that few of the Ivy League front office types can pull off. Of course, Epstein is not alone as a big name in Cubs leadership. More baseball fans could probably name two or three members of this front office before they could name the general manager of teams like the Twins or the Rockies. General manager Jed Hoyer and senior vice president of player development and scouting Jason McLeod are well-respected names in the business. A.J. Preller has become a big name in San Diego after his impressive offseason, but, depending on which news stories you believe, McLeod was actually San Diego's preferred choice for their opening at general manager and the lure of the incredibly bright future of the Cubs was too much for him to walk away from.
In addition to having perhaps the most famous and well-respected chain of leadership in the game, and having the best young talent, there is also the history that comes with the franchise. The excitement that would come with the most popular team in the third-largest U.S. city winning its first world series since 1908 is enough to draw in names like Maddon, Epstein and Jon Lester. This is the factor that, combined with the youth and the leadership, makes the Cubs the top baseball story of the next five years.
Constructing The Championship Roster
Everyone knows about the team's organizational depth all over the field, but which players actually project to play for the Cubs when they essentially become the baseball version of the Beatles in 1965 or the 1992 Dream Team by bringing a World Series back to the Northside of Chicago?
First, let's start with the year. For this exercise I am going to operate under the hypothesis that the Cubs win the World Series in 2017. By some projections they could finish above .500 this year, but a wild-card berth would be more than enough to validate the rebuilding process in 2015, and I think the Cardinals and Pirates will still prove to be strong division challengers in 2016. Here is my prediction for what that 2017 team will look like on Opening Day:
C:Miguel Montero (signed through 2017, will turn 34 in July 2017)
1B:Anthony Rizzo (signed through 2019, will turn 28 in August 2017)
2B:Javier Baez (will be 24 for the entire 2017 season)
3B:Starlin Castro (signed through 2019, will be 27 for the entire 2017 season)
SS:Addison Russell (will be 23 for the entire 2017 season)
LF:Kris Bryant (will be 25 for the entire 2017 season)
CF:Carlos Gomez (will be 31 for the entire 2017 season)
RF:Jorge Soler (signed through 2020, will be 25 for the entire 2017 season)
Sorry Brewers fans, but Gomez (represented by Scott Boras) is gone after the 2016 season, and I think the Cubs will see centerfield as the one offensive position they will choose to address in a big way on the free-agent market. While the Cubs certainly get a lot of press because of their young core, I don't think people make enough of the fact that they will have incredibly deep pockets once it is time to contend for championships. The Lester signing this offseason was just a drop in the bucket.
Easing the transition from Castro to Russell at shortstop is one of the things Maddon should be better at than almost any other manager. Castro is the kind of player who will either need to get on board with a position move or get traded, and I don't think he'll want to leave this team. The Cubs already started experimenting with Bryant in left field this spring, and it just seems like a natural fit given the need to put Castro somewhere once Russell is ready. Second base is the toughest spot to call right now because Baez has so much to do developmentally to be an everyday player on a contender. Still, his talent should win out, and we know he has the glove for second.
Bench:
Kyle Schwarber (will be 24 for the entire 2017 season)
Arismendy Alcantara (will be 25 for the entire 2017 season)
Tommy La Stella (will be 28 for the entire 2017 season)
Mike Olt (will turn 29 in August 2017)
Schwarber will get a taste of the big leagues in 2016, and in 2017 he will catch 30-40 percent of the Cubs' games while providing a valuable replacement in left or right field should Bryant or Soler miss time. He will also be a deadly left-handed bat off the bench. Alcantara will serve as a backup in center field and the middle infield spots while offering speed off the bench, and La Stella could get some starts at second base when Baez is slumping while also serving as Castro's backup at third. Olt will be a pinch-hit option and also Rizzo's backup at first.
Mid-season call-up:
Billy McKinney (will turn 23 in August 2017)
McKinney will prove to be valued too highly by the Cubs for them to part with him in a trade, and he will serve as an excellent injury replacement should anything happen to Bryant or Soler. His call-up will result in Olt being designated for assignment.
SP:David Price, LHP (will turn 32 in August 2017)
SP:Jon Lester, LHP (will be 33 for the entire 2017 season)
SP:Jake Arrieta, RHP (free agent eligible after 2017 season, will be 31 for the entire 2017 season)
SP:Matt Moore, LHP (will turn 28 in June 2017)
SP:Kyle Hendricks, RHP (will be 27 for the entire 2017 season)
When there are barely any holes in a team's lineup, it only makes sense that they spend free agent money and trade assets to acquire pitching, even if conventional wisdom may suggest that pitchers are not the best use of high-level resources. The Cubs sign Price during the upcoming offseason to a seven-year, $225 million deal to get a bonafide ace ahead of Lester in the rotation. They also trade for Moore during the upcoming offseason for Albert Almora, Dan Vogelbach, Christian Villanueva and Welington Castillo. Another pitcher to consider in a trade would be Derek Holland if the Rangers opt to go into a rebuild after this season, but Texas is a team that can afford to pay Holland's options, while the Rays may want to get away from that financial commitment and bring in some offensive surplus.
Closer:Hector Rondon (will be 29 for the entire 2017 season)
Bullpen:
C.J. Edwards, RHP (will turn 26 in September 2017)
Neil Ramirez, RHP (will turn 28 in May 2017)
Tony Sipp, LHP (will turn 34 in July 2017)
Brian Matusz, LHP (will be 30 for the entire 2017 season)
Pierce Johnson, RHP (will turn 26 in May 2017)
Pedro Strop, RHP (free agent eligible after 2017 season, will turn 32 in June 2017)
Jacob Turner, RHP (will turn 26 in May 2017)
The Cubs pay for a lefty this offseason in Sipp and add another lefty prior to the 2017 season in Matusz to solidify the bullpen (Brett Cecil would be another logical option). Edwards could very well supplant Rondon in the closer role, but he would probably need an injury or poor performance for that to happen. Johnson would serve as the Cubs' version of how the Orioles may use Kevin Gausman this year, where he can pitch for two-inning stretches out of the bullpen, and slide into the rotation for short stretches if there is a need. Turner would serve as a groundball specialist in the middle innings if the attempt to develop him into a championship caliber back-end starter fails.
