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With David Price getting monopoly money from the Red Sox and Zach Greinke likely to follow suit in a Dodgers-Giants bidding war, the Cubs’ offseason search for pitching is beginning to crystallize.
Price’s $217 million contract with the Red Sox nudged the free-agent dominoes, making it apparent the Cubs likely will not be a high-stakes player as they were last year when they landed Jon Lester for a now bargain-like $155 million.
Instead, it looks like the Cubs could focus on a two-for-one deal, getting a couple of middle-of-the-rotation starters for the current market price of an ace. The prospect-heavy Cubs are also in a good position to trade for pitching, instead of overspending in free agency.
Even Johnny Cueto, who seemed like an option for the North Siders a few weeks ago, will likely command silly money—upward of $20 million per year—from the loser of the Greinke sweepstakes, thus falling off the Cubs’ wish-list.
With the MLB winter meetings around the corner, here are some starters that make sense for the Cubs in free agency or via trade:
