Cheap Cubs Are Cheap, Yeah…

So all offseason we have heard about how much the Chicago Cubs have spent, and by the way… they’ve spent a hell of a lot of money. Thing is though, the core of the roster is still rather,inexpensive. So how do I proclaim these are cheap Cubs? Well of course they’ve opened the checkbook, but here are the guys that gave the most production for the cheapest of prices.

5. Hector Rondon, RP

Hector Rondon has saved 59 games over the past two seasons for the Chicago Cubs. While perhaps not impressive when you see other closers finish seasons with 40 or more saves, Rondon was promoted to closer in the middle of the 2014 season and lost the closer’s role midway throughout the 2015 season (only to win it back again).

Hector cost the Cubs a whopping $544,000 in 2015, the fifth lowest salary of any pitcher on the team (that truly contributed). But when your closer can get you out of a scenario like this, you’d pay him just about anything.

Now the meat and potatoes, according to Fangraphs, Rondon finished the 2015 season with a 1.6 WAR, giving him a total worth of $13.1 million. The Cubs paid him, $544,000 which results in a $12.5 million value to the Cubs. So when you make a cheap Cubs list, he’s got to be on it.

(He has earned a $4.2 million avoiding arbitration)

4. Kyle Schwarber, C/LF

You last saw Kyle Schwarber hitting baseballs on top of the video board in right field, and now you see him as one of the headlining cheap Cubs.

Kyle had a fantastic rookie campaign, and while he had a bit of a slump to close the season out (batting .215 during August, September, and October), he certainly came back with a flourish in the playoffs. He set a Cubs franchise record with 5 HRs in the playoffs, and ended up slashing a ridiculous .333/.419/.889 with an unimaginable 1.308 OPS! That’s video game like!

While Mike Borzello and Davey Martinez can argue on if Kyle is a catcher or outfielder all they want, the dude is and always will be a professional hitter. He hit a combined 32 homers for Double-A Tennessee, Triple-A Iowa, and the MLB team in 2015, and it wouldn’t be out of the question for Schwarber to hit that many or more in his first full season in the majors in 2016.

Kyle is tough to evaluate value on, because his offensive and defensive abilities are so far apart. Baseball-Reference gives Kyle a -0.2 dWAR and a 1.7 oWAR, that is a considerable swing for a guy that played a total of 69 games for the Cubs. Fangraphs has Kyle at a 1.9 WAR (each site uses slightly different criteria) which places a total worth at $14.9 million. This cheap Cubs cost the team $232,950 in 2015, bringing his value to $14.7 million.

3. Addison Russell, SS

Addison Russell certainly heads up the list of cheap Cubs. With a salary of $460,355 in 2015, he made less than; Austin Jackson, David Ross, and Chris Denorfia and made considerable more production on the field (not picking on those players at all). He played two positions (SS and 2B) exceptionally well, and hit a ton better as the season progressed.

How much better? His average was 33 points better in the second half of the season, which included batting .330 in September and October. Additionally he collected more than half of his season’s home run and RBI totals over the final two months of the season (7 and 28 respectively).

Russell might be remembered for his clutch defense during the playoffs.

But he should also be remembered for his clutch hitting. He slashed .290/.374/.410 with a .784 OPS in tie ballgames and .277/.347/.446 with a .793 OPS with 2-outs, RISP in 2015.

Fangraphs puts his WAR at 2.9, and total worth at $23.5 million (on the open market). With the Cubs getting more than $23 million in additional value for Russell’s performance, he is a total cheap Cubs.

2. Kyle Hendricks, SP

Kyle could have made this list two years in a row, that is if this site existed last year at this time and I had thought of this idea while covering the Cubs on the last site I wrote for. Regardless, Kyle is that quiet kid in the corner that just so happens to do everything right, all the time, but never gets noticed for it.

Sure there are Kyle Hendricks fans out there, but for every Hendricks No. 28 jerseys out there, you’ll find 15 Alfonso Soriano’s and he hasn’t been on the team since the middle of the 2013 season.

Regardless, Hendricks has quietly developed into a solid starter in the majors, and there are many that believe “The Professor” is primed to have a breakout season in 2016.

Just how much value does Hendricks give to the Chicago Cubs? Well, Fangraphs gives Kyle a 3.4 WAR which equates to a ridiculous $27 million. Providing even more value to the Chicago Cubs, Hendricks has worth up to $38.6 million in two seasons. He has been paid $1.1 million over the past two seasons, meaning he’s been a $36.5 million value to the Cubs so far. THAT’S ONE CHEAP CUBS PLAYER!

1. Kris Bryant, 3b

Kris Bryant is the only player, ever, to be named the College Player of the Year, Minor League Player of the Year, and Rookie of the Year in successive seasons. Of all the great players that have played this game, that club consists of only Bryant’s name.

But his dominance didn’t end there. Setting Cubs rookie records in both home runs (26) and RBI’S (99). He was also rated as the third best defensive third baseman in the National League, which was very much a surprise after we heard for two seasons he might not end up being the Cubs third baseman.

Bryant was paid $471,448 in 2015. A guy that slashed .275/.369/.488 with a .857 OPS. Care to take a guess at Bryant’s WAR?

Yup.

Kris Bryant finished 2015 with a 6.5 WAR and was worth $52.3 million last season. Meaning his insane value to the Cubs in 2015 was $51.8 million.

Honorable mention

If be remiss if I didn’t mention these guys. While the article itself focused on cheap Cubs, specifically those who earned less than $1 million. But here’s a quick rundown of some of our favorite Cubs that could also be considered cheap Cubs.

Jake Arrieta – $3.63 M salary, 7.3 WAR, $58.6 M worth
Anthony Rizzo – $5 M salary, 5.5 WAR, $43.8 M worth
Chris Coghlan – $2.5 M salary, 3.3 WAR, $26.1 M worth

Not only were the Cubs ridiculously good in 2015, they were a financial juggernaut. With just these eight players the Cubs received $255 million in value, which only paid around $13.3 million.

Now those are cheap Cubs.

 

Information from Fangraphs, baseball-reference, MLB, and Spotrac was used in this article.