Refocusing the Cubs’ goals after missing out on David Price

Heading into the offseason there was one big prize for the Cubs: starting pitcher David Price. On Tuesday, they officially missed out on the former Cy Young winner when he signed with the Red Sox.

With Price out of the picture, the Cubs need to refocus on what they can do to help the team before the start of 2016 season. On Wednesday, the Sun-Times’ Gordon Wittenmyer joined the Mully & Hanley Show on 670 The Score to discuss the Cubs’ future.

Instead of focusing on just one big name, the Cubs will need to cast a wider net, looking for the best moves to shore up multiple needs. Wittenmyer said that means more than just pitching.

“You look really hard at that outfield, almost as much as you do the pitching,” Wittenmyer said.

As Wittenmyer explains, the Cubs have a pair of young outfield prospects in their system, at least one in Albert Almora who is likely going to be an MLB player. They are not ready yet. The Cubs have options when it comes to filling in outfield slots, including free agents Jason Heyward or Lonnie Chisenhall.

The biggest trade option, Wittenmyer said, could be Jorge Soler. The Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians expressed interest in making a deal with the Cubs at the trade deadline and are again options as winter meetings near. Both have young pitchers seemingly available.