6 Dominoes if the Cubs Sign Jason Heyward
Second domino, Dexter Fowler
Sure the Cubs have tons of resources, but contradictory to what a lot of fans think, they don’t have unlimited amounts of money to give players. The team is still under some spending restrictions (explained in best detail by the great folks at Bleacher Nation) and if the team were to realize their offseason goals of adding contact hitters (Heyward) and dependable starting pitching, Fowler would be the odd man out.
Because Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer are smart guys, they will place a qualifying offer for Fowler, then collect the draft pick once he signs elsewhere. The Cubs would then search for a free agent centerfielder, that has also been a legitimate leadoff hitter during his career.
Domino three, trade market
We’ve already mentioned Jorge Soler would be traded (in the Heyward scenario) and he would certainly be used to acquire pitching. While Soler hasn’t proven much on the field yet, teams will certainly take a chance on his future production, especially with him earning $2.667 M for the next several years.
It becomes a question of what can the Cubs get in return for Soler.
While his lackluster -0.1 WAR placed him solely as a prototypical AAAA player, his talents and flashes of brilliance show he can be much more. Team’s will hopefully overpay for the opportunity to buy his future production, and if those teams are not starting offers with a young, future controlled pitcher that could step into the Cubs rotation as a number three right now, they hang up the phone.
The Cubs will also be in the market for a centerfielder, and while they could sign someone like Denard Span in free agency, the Cubs certainly have the firepower to pull off a deal that sees a strong CF/leadoff type come back the Cubs way. Maybe a bigger deal with Soler, and a couple prospects, that includes a pitcher and a CF coming back in return.
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