Why did the Cubs not land Chapman or Jansen? |
ESPN senior writer Jim Bowden has an in-depth knowledge of baseball trades and signings being a former general manager of the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals.
He shared in his latest article the reason he thought the Cubs didn't go after closers Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen in free agency. "The Cubs did not pursue either of the main free agent closers -- Aroldis Chapman or Kenley Jansen -- in earnest, because they didn’t think it would be smart business to sign a closer to a five-year contract with the health and performance risk that comes with closers, let alone paying the $85 million price tag," Bowden said. "Most people now think that Kenley Jansen will land with the Washington Nationals, with the Miami Marlins as his fallback. That’s because no one thinks that the Dodgers’ Andrew Friedman will give Jansen a fifth year, because -- like Epstein -- Friedman doesn’t think it’s good business. He might try to trade for the Tampa Bay Rays’ Alex Colome instead," Bowden said. I agree with Bowden's assessment not to give out huge contracts to closers. One bad outing for a closer and sometimes their confidence shatters and they don't recover. The Cubs did the smart thing and will save up their money for some starting pitching that they will need after the 2017 season.
