The Chicago Cubs lost out on another starting pitcher who was available on the open market.
For a while it’s seemed like the Chicago Cubs have put potential late offseason additions behind them and are going into the upcoming year with the roster as currently constructed.
That seems to be a questionable tactic as they already didn’t have the best free agency period and are now dealing with injuries to impact players.
When looking at the pitching staff, Jameson Taillon’s back issue became a concern when it was revealed he’d begin the season on the injured list. Already causing the rotation to be changed around, there was a thought the Cubs might make a late move to bolster this unit.
Of course, Jordan Montgomery was the name that generated the most buzz since he’s the most prominent free agent pitcher remaining, but 2023 All-Star Michael Lorenzen would have been another great option.
Even if Taillon returns as early as possible, Chicago is already planning on using some sort of hybrid five to six man rotation with Shota Imanaga easing into the Major League workload that is different than Japan.
Lorenzen could have been used on the backend of this setup.
However, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that the right-hander agreed to a deal with the defending World Series champion Texas Rangers.
What makes this news even more frustrating for Cubs fans is how cheap he signed for.
Rosenthal says it’s a one-year, $4.5 million contract with $2.5 million in incentives that could bring the total compensation up to $7 million.
Chicago could have easily made this deal if they wanted.
According to Spotrac, the Cubs’ projected payroll in 2024 is $226.3 million which is under the first level of the tax threshold set at $237 million.
The lack of interest in signing additional arms even amidst the injury concern for Taillon suggests they have faith in their minor league arms.
Ben Brown, their No. 11 overall prospect, is expected to start the year at Triple-A and likely would be an option if more issues pop up. Luke Little could also factor in with the longshot being No. 2 prospect Cade Horton.
Still, seeing Lorenzen sign elsewhere would have been much more palatable for Chicago fans if the deal hadn’t been for so cheap.
