Three Targets The Cubs Need To Consider To Round Out Their Rotation

The Chicago Cubs are in need of a fifth pitcher now that Tyson Ross has officially chosen the Texas Rangers over the North-Siders.

Source says Rangers have signed Tyson Ross...no word yet on the contract except it is a one-year deal... Rangers haven't confirmed

— TR Sullivan (@Sullivan_Ranger) January 13, 2017

While it is somewhat late in free agency, there are still plenty of names for the Cubs to pick from. With in-house options like second-year-lefty Rob Zastryzny who shined in his lone start of 2016 or World Series game seven closer Mike Montgomery, who has 23 starts under his belt. However, Theo Epstein told Phil Rodgers of the MLB Network not to expect the Cubs to just go with what they have quite yet, implying more could happen this offseason.

Theo Epstein says #Cubs still in market to add starting pitching after #Rangers get Tyson Ross. This should be interesting.

— Phil Rogers (@philgrogers) January 14, 2017

With Epstein apparently still searching for more arms to add to his club, I decided to put together a list of players the Cubs could be interested in for 2017. [caption id="attachment_80593" align="alignnone" width="640"] (Photo courtesy of Getty Images)[/caption]

Honorable Mention: Travis Wood

  The flexible lefty has proven to be one of Joe Maddon's favorite pieces in his bullpen the last two seasons, as Wood has been able to transition from starter to long reliever, to middle relief and even closing some games in 2015. Wood put together a spectacular 2016 with a career-best 2.95 ERA while sporting an opponent batting average of .198 in 77 appearances. Wood's ability to throw in multiple situations makes him an extremely valuable piece to have on the Cubs roster, on top of the fact Travis is just a freaking athlete, making game-saving plays in left field and clubbing postseason home runs with ease. Who doesn't love pitchers who rake? But Travis Wood, while valuable to the Cubs in his own way, was at one point drawing interest from a few teams as a starter. The 2017 free agency class is a tad weaker than others in recent memory, and teams might be willing to pay a little more than the Cubs to add the lefty to their rotation. With a career 4.19 ERA and 776 innings logged as a starter, while also coming off one of the best seasons of his career, the soon-to-be-30-year-old is a great piece to add to the back of any teams rotation. [caption id="attachment_82696" align="alignnone" width="640"] Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]

Jered Weaver

  Weaver has had a rather dramatic fall from stardom in just the last few years, as the 34-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career, posting a brutal 5.06 ERA and a .294 opponent batting average in 31 starts last season. Weaver has lost a lot of zip on his fastball as well, with his heater topping out at 84 MPH in 2016 according to Fangraphs' PitchFX, which is the slowest he's ever thrown. This also led to a career-high 37 home runs allowed by Weaver, as the wheels not only came off but the engine exploded all at once. Now, I know I just made a pretty compelling argument to basically convince anyone with half a baseball brain to not sign the rapidly declining Weaver but hear me out. Weaver's biggest issue seems to be his command, combined with the lack of speed and movement on his fastball. Since 2010, the former Angels star's velocity has been on steady decline, falling from around 90 MPH to 85 MPH in 2014, which is the last season Weaver posted an ERA below 4.00. His batted ball numbers also support this as his home run/fly ball rate and infield hits both spiked, which leads me to think that Weaver is having a hard time locating his pitches. Hard to believe Weaver was a consistent 18-20 game winner only a few seasons ago. Looking at his contact percentages, he allowed more 'hard' contact (34.7% of his pitches were deemed hard contact in 2016) than he has throughout his entire career. This most likely has to do with his lack of velocity, which also reduces the movement of his pitches, making him much easier to hit. An 84 MPH heater with no movement is essentially batting practice for most MLB hitters. Maybe Weaver working with pitching guru Chris Bosio helps get the former All-Star back on track? Weaver is a great fly-ball pitcher, similar to Kyle Hendricks who throws only slightly harder than Weaver, but if Bosio can help locate his pitches better and induce more fly balls that stay in the park I don't see why Weaver can't have success in Chicago.

Brett Anderson

The 28-year-old lefty has bounced around a few places, first being drafted by Arizona, debuting with Oakland, being traded to Colorado, and finally signing in Los Angeles in 2015. When Anderson is healthy, which has only happened a few times in his career, the left-handed starter has shown he has the stuff to be a great mid-rotation arm. He has a fastball sits somewhere between 88-92 MPH, an excellent curveball that he use in any count, a nice, hard-breaking slider, and an underrated changeup. However, the eight-year vet has only thrown over 100 innings three times in his career and never in succession of each other either. His most recently healthy season was 2015 with the Dodgers, where he produced a 3.69 ERA with a WHIP of 1.33 while generating a staggering groundball rate of 66.3% in 180.1 IP. Anderson was extremely effective even though his strikeout numbers had dropped from previous seasons. And when his stuff is on, he's damn-near impossible to square up. The veteran starter's injury history is a scary one that includes a sprained ankle, back surgery, along with elbow and oblique soreness and strains. Anderson is a walking question mark for 2016, as Fangraphs anticipates the lefty only managing 45 innings pitched due to injury. But if Anderson can put together a solid season and just eat innings to allow pitchers like Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, and Jake Arrieta to stay fresh for the postseason then Anderson's season would be considered a success.   [caption id="attachment_82698" align="alignnone" width="707"] (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)[/caption]

C.J. Wilson

  The former Head and Shoulders commercial star has become almost a forgotten player since the Angels have fallen out the playoff picture. But despite one rough season in 2014, the only time Wilson didn't post an ERA below 4.00 in his career, he has managed to be rather successful in Los Angeles. Wilson was shut down in July with shoulder issues, effectively ending his time with the Angels, and many thought the 36-year-old might call it a career. But, according to Ken Rosenthal, the lefty looks to be eyeing a return back to baseball in 2017.

C.J. Wilson, who had shoulder surgery in July, began throwing over a month ago and is progressing steadily. Showcase possible in February.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 6, 2017

With Wilson's showcase should draw a decent crowd, particularly with how weak the free agency market is this offseason, Wilson is a more viable option now than he would be in other seasons. Before the shoulder problems, Wilson was about as durable as they come, pitching in at least 200+ innings from 2010-2013, while never posting an ERA above 3.83. And his 2015 was rather solid too, posting a 3.89 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and a .237 opponent batting average. However, that was prime C.J. Wilson and it would be stupid to expect the veteran starter to produce numbers like that. But, his career numbers show he has never truly been hit hard holding opponents to a .238 average during his 11-seasons in baseball. If Wilson can show he is 100% again, adding a polished left-handed veteran like him would certainly help lessen the load of the Cubs trio of Lester, Hendricks, and Arrieta.