The Chicago Cubs have declined their team option on RHP Jason Hammel, making him a free agent.
Hammel, 32, had an option that would've given him a $12 million dollar salary, but instead he will receive a $2 million dollar buyout.
Hammel had a decent year with a 3.83 ERA in 166.2 innings pitched, but a spike in the home run rate led to the Cubs leaving him off of their postseason roster. His 13.8 HR/FB rate ranked among the bottom in starting pitchers and his left on base percentage of 76 percent, well above his career average, suggested even more regression was due.
Hammel, like last year, pitched very well in the first half 3.46 ERA in 17 starts and 79-30 K-BB rate, but in the second half his numbers ballooned to a 4.35 ERA in only 13 starts and 11 home runs given up in just 70 innings.
Despite his struggles with the long ball Hammel was still mostly effective and it is a surprise to see his option decline especially since this years starting pitching free agency class is pretty weak, but it's possible the trade market could open up on that end.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Saturday, November 5, 2016
The Cubs should re-sign Dexter Fowler
As the hangover from the celebration of the Cubs first World Series title begins to somewhat die down, it becomes time for the Cubs to look ahead on next years ball club as they try to repeat as World Series champions.
The Cubs have several free agents including most notably lead off hitter Dexter Fowler and stud closer Aroldis Chapman. While Chapman will most likely sign with a different team the Cubs have a difficult choice with Dexter Fowler
Fowler will most likely be tenured a qualifying offer which means either accept a one-year $17.2 million dollar deal or go into free agency and cost the team that signs him either a first or second round pick depending on the draft position.
At first glance it doesn't really make sense for the Cubs to re-sign Fowler they already have a very serious outfield glut with Jason Heyward, Albert Almora Jr, and Jorge Soler all projected to play major roles plus with a full strength Kyle Schwarber being able to play the field and Matt Szczur emerging as a quality reserve player.
But Fowler provided significant value to this team with a .276/.393/.447 line including an incredibly impressive .390/.483/.720 line when leading off the game. His bat would be extremely hard to replace, especially with Soler and Heyward being huge question marks on offense.
Fowler historically hasn't been highly regarded defensively to say the least, but in 2016 he made major strides on defense which he said was due to an effort to play deeper in the outfield. His defensive runs saved of 1 isn't particularly impressive but when you compare it to last years -12 his defense looks a lot more impressive.
This offseason will probably be Fowlers last chance to get a big score in the free agent market as he is already 30 and interest is likely to be heavy with teams like the Indians, Cardinals, and Blue Jays all being potential options.
Fowler would most likely look for a 3-4 year deal around $18-20 million a year after being such a huge cog at the top of the order for the Cubs he will get a chance to earn top dollar for a team looking for offense.
If the Cubs do not re-sign Fowler they will have to rely on players who haven't really proven themselves in the outfield.
Albert Almora Jr. is probably the number one candidate to replace Fowler if he chooses to leave and he impressed in a small sample size hitting .277/.308/.455 including scoring the first run that helped the Cubs clinch their first World Series title in 108 years.
What sets Almora apart is his defense and while he doesn't necessarily have the strongest arm he is able to cover a ton of ground and had a UZR of 2.5 in 193 innings in center field. He could also move to a corner outfield role which would allow Jason Heyward and his strong arm to patrol center field.
Heyward struggled massively on offense this year as he ranked as one of the worst offensive players in all of baseball with a .631 OPS in 592 plate appearances, but on defense he was a star with 14 defensive runs saved in right field.
Heyward did suffer from some bad luck this year with a .266 BABIP which is well below his career average of .30, but it seemed that so much of the time he put the ball in play it wasn't hit hard and his soft hit rate of 27 percent is his highest since 2011 and his hard hit rate of 26.4 percent is tied with 2014 for the lowest in his career.
If the Cubs do trade an outfielder it would likely involve Jorge Soler for young pitching. Soler had an alright year hitting .238/.333/.436 with 12 home runs, but only played in 86 games as he missed almost two months with a left oblique strain. Staying healthy has been an issue for Soler as he missed significant time last year dealing with injuries.
However, a trade for Soler is unlikely at this time because his value is probably at an all time low and the Cubs would like to see him build some value so they could get a better player
Going back to Fowler, he was the most well rounded outfielder on the Cubs this year with the struggles of Heyward. He provided so much value to the team with his on-base skills and his ability to get the game started with a bang and with the Cubs questions marks in the outfield, re-signing Fowler should be a priority.
He is very likely to get a multi-year deal this offseason and whether it be for the Cubs or someone else he is likely to anchor the top of a teams lineup for the next few years.
The Cubs have several free agents including most notably lead off hitter Dexter Fowler and stud closer Aroldis Chapman. While Chapman will most likely sign with a different team the Cubs have a difficult choice with Dexter Fowler
Fowler will most likely be tenured a qualifying offer which means either accept a one-year $17.2 million dollar deal or go into free agency and cost the team that signs him either a first or second round pick depending on the draft position.
At first glance it doesn't really make sense for the Cubs to re-sign Fowler they already have a very serious outfield glut with Jason Heyward, Albert Almora Jr, and Jorge Soler all projected to play major roles plus with a full strength Kyle Schwarber being able to play the field and Matt Szczur emerging as a quality reserve player.
But Fowler provided significant value to this team with a .276/.393/.447 line including an incredibly impressive .390/.483/.720 line when leading off the game. His bat would be extremely hard to replace, especially with Soler and Heyward being huge question marks on offense.
Fowler historically hasn't been highly regarded defensively to say the least, but in 2016 he made major strides on defense which he said was due to an effort to play deeper in the outfield. His defensive runs saved of 1 isn't particularly impressive but when you compare it to last years -12 his defense looks a lot more impressive.
This offseason will probably be Fowlers last chance to get a big score in the free agent market as he is already 30 and interest is likely to be heavy with teams like the Indians, Cardinals, and Blue Jays all being potential options.
Fowler would most likely look for a 3-4 year deal around $18-20 million a year after being such a huge cog at the top of the order for the Cubs he will get a chance to earn top dollar for a team looking for offense.
If the Cubs do not re-sign Fowler they will have to rely on players who haven't really proven themselves in the outfield.
Albert Almora Jr. is probably the number one candidate to replace Fowler if he chooses to leave and he impressed in a small sample size hitting .277/.308/.455 including scoring the first run that helped the Cubs clinch their first World Series title in 108 years.
What sets Almora apart is his defense and while he doesn't necessarily have the strongest arm he is able to cover a ton of ground and had a UZR of 2.5 in 193 innings in center field. He could also move to a corner outfield role which would allow Jason Heyward and his strong arm to patrol center field.
Heyward struggled massively on offense this year as he ranked as one of the worst offensive players in all of baseball with a .631 OPS in 592 plate appearances, but on defense he was a star with 14 defensive runs saved in right field.
Heyward did suffer from some bad luck this year with a .266 BABIP which is well below his career average of .30, but it seemed that so much of the time he put the ball in play it wasn't hit hard and his soft hit rate of 27 percent is his highest since 2011 and his hard hit rate of 26.4 percent is tied with 2014 for the lowest in his career.
If the Cubs do trade an outfielder it would likely involve Jorge Soler for young pitching. Soler had an alright year hitting .238/.333/.436 with 12 home runs, but only played in 86 games as he missed almost two months with a left oblique strain. Staying healthy has been an issue for Soler as he missed significant time last year dealing with injuries.
However, a trade for Soler is unlikely at this time because his value is probably at an all time low and the Cubs would like to see him build some value so they could get a better player
Going back to Fowler, he was the most well rounded outfielder on the Cubs this year with the struggles of Heyward. He provided so much value to the team with his on-base skills and his ability to get the game started with a bang and with the Cubs questions marks in the outfield, re-signing Fowler should be a priority.
He is very likely to get a multi-year deal this offseason and whether it be for the Cubs or someone else he is likely to anchor the top of a teams lineup for the next few years.
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