Pete Alonso advantage lies in the Cubs prospect pipeline
It's been reported far and wide now that both NL Central teams jockeying for the title this season wanted Mets slugger first baseman Pete Alonso. The Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs were reported to have interest.
More reporters have confirmed that in recent weeks, and in his aggregation of an MLB.com report of that information, Brad Wakai made a good point about why the Cubs could stand out as the easy front-runner in a trade for him this offseason: Their pipeline.
Comparing the two NL Central teams that seemed to be the most aggressive for Alonso before the deadline, the Cubs have five prospects in Fangraphs' top 100, while the Brewers have just two. That said, the Cubs have one in the top 50, the Brewers have two.
Overall, the Cubs have the second-best farm system in MLB (notably, another NL Central team, Pittsburgh is first) and the Brewers are 14th.
The point, though, is that an equivalent transfer of prospects for Alonso would pain the Cubs far less than it would the Brewers, given their existing pipelines. In the end, it far from guarantees the Cubs to land Alonso, as the bidding war could expand tremendously this offseason, but it is somewhere they could look.
Ultimately, first base option in free agency aren't fantastic this winter. The biggest names are Rhys Hoskins, Max Muncy, Josh Bell, and Eric Hosmer. Of course, the Cubs re-signing Cody Bellinger would provide some answers there as well.
Justin Steele can pick up where Marcus Stroman left off as in-house replacement
Justin Steele had another quality start on Tuesday night, contributing to a hugely needed 1-0 win over the division-leading Brewers with six innings, eight stirkeouts, one walk, and no earned runs on six hits.
Steele find himself on top of plenty of leaderboards this season. Among qualifying pitchers, he is:
- First in wins (15)
- Second in ERA
- Tied for second in quality starts (18)
That is... fantastic. And remember, Steele is under team control until 2028. This season, he's proven he can be the ace of the future and is an obvious candidate to take the torch from Marcus Stroman.
Stroman, who has a player option this season, has pitched well, too, but age and financial considerations have prevented the organization from offering a contract extension he has very much wanted and publicly asked for.
Steele, on the other hand, is young, full of potential, and already winning games. Plus, he comes with the all-important team control.
The front office will perceive him as a better place to spend because of the lower risk. In the end, he might be the better option, too.
Ultimately, the Cubs could bring back Stroman this offseason as well, but whether or not they do, Steele is clearly the starter of the future for this rotation, whatever the rest looks like.
Cubs should be looking at now-available Harrison Bader
On Monday, a flurry of players became available on the waiver wire as teams pointed toward missing the playoffs look to clean up their books before the end of the year. This is the next-best option to add to the roster after the trade deadline, just ahead of rosters expanding soon ahead of the final playoff push.
The Cubs are 70-62 going into Wednesday's afternoon game against the leading Milwaukee Brewers, who hold a four-game lead. Chicago is pushing hard to make the postseason, either by winning the division or by earning one of the Wild Card spots. As such, they stick out as a logical candidate to make claims on the waiver wire, as Ken Rosenthal pointed out on Tuesday evening:
One such player the Cubs would be wise to consider is Harrison Bader, who the Yankees put on waivers. Bader, known by Cubs fans more for his time as an elite defensive outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, would look weird in Chicago but would be a welcomed sight that helps the Cubs make sense of their current defensive alignment a bit better.
First base, since Trey Mancini's DFA, has been manned by a mix of Cody Bellinger, Jeimer Candelario, and Patrick Wisdom. The committee approach there isn't exactly what the Cubs might want.
Bader subbing in for Bellinger in the outfield could give the Cubs what they need to name him the rest-of-season first baseman, while Bader brings speed and intensity to the outfield. While he's struggled with an injury history and so-so batting this year, he would be an exciting addition.
Plus, it's always good to grab a former rival and make Cardinals fans gasp at the sight, right?