Chicago Cubs' cruising under the radar while Cardinals make moves
So far, the Winter has been calm for the Chicago Cubs. Meanwhile, teams around the league have started to make moves. Especially their division rival, and organization that they dethroned in 2015-2016.
We’re entering the Holiday Season and there’s no better feeling than knowing that the Chicago Cubs are World Champs. Seriously, there is going to be a ton of World Series gear being given out as presents.
Now, speaking of gifts. Outfielder Dexter Fowler is still looking for a new home and the biggest gift of all — a new contract. A four-year deal is what Fowler is seeking and that’s exactly what the St. Louis Cardinals have handed out thus far.
Watching what your division rivals are up to is pretty important. Consider this one of those scouting reports or “getting to know your enemy”, posts. While the Cubs added a few names to their 40-man roster, the Cardinals made a splash.
By signing southpaw (via Redbird Rants), Brett Cecil to a four-year contract, the Cardinals added another dangerous weapon to their already stacked bullpen. Toronto has a few key names such as Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista testing free agency.
Not to mention, Cecil was one of those individuals. He’ll call St. Louis home for the next several years and have to face the Chicago Cubs a handful of times throughout his stay.
Revenge for Heyward?
Remember last Winter when Theo Epstein signed Jason Heyward and John Lackey, pulling them from the St. Louis Cardinals? Well, the possibility of Dexter Fowler signing with the Cardinals could be pretty high.
In fact, they might be the team with the highest interest in Fowler as of right now. Hopefully, this will not come true and he’ll return to the Cubs in 2017. As mentioned before, Fowler is looking for a four-year deal. And the contract that Cecil had signed was worth $30.5 million.
Dexter could be looking for anything between $40-$56 million. Nothing official right now, so this is my guestimation.
Pending any changes, the Cardinals will now have Cecil, Kevin Siegrist, Trevor Rosenthal, Jonathan Broxton, Matt Bowman, Tyler Lyons, and Seung-hwan Oh in the bullpen. Adding Cecil could fill in for Zach Duke who is expected to miss the entire 2017 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
This move surely makes this rivalry a whole lot more entertaining heading into the 2017 campaign. Should be a battle for the division title but you still have to keep the odds in favor of the World Series champs.
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