Cubs Could Reportedly Be a Suitor for Gerrit Cole in Offseason
By Parker White
When the MLB offseason rolls around and free agency starts, the prized jewel on the market will be Houston Astros star pitcher Gerrit Cole.
He's been a dominant starter for the Astros, once again, as he leads the league with a 2.75 ERA and boasts 238 strikeouts over 163.2 innings in 26 starts. Cole would sit atop most rotations and take any team to another level.
That's why the Chicago Cubs "could be involved" in what will be a bidding war for three-time All-Star this coming offseason.
Cubs “Could Be Involved” in the Bidding for Free Agent Ace Gerrit Cole https://t.co/2GTnP50Ijn (via BN)
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 26, 2019
It makes sense as to why the Cubs would be interested. Cole Hamels will be a free agent after this season, Jon Lester has one more year left on his deal following 2019, and Jose Quintana could be on the market after next season.
If the Cubs had a minor league pipeline full of pitching talent, that would be one thing, but they don't, and to remain competitive they need to be active on the free agent market for starting pitching.
Sunday notes: Teams that need to win this winter's Gerrit Cole sweepstakes https://t.co/VkZFd2Z2pw Plus, Kershaw has strong feelings about the weekend's white uniforms; Kershaw's change in sequencing; etc.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) August 25, 2019
Of course, the question remains: How are the Cubs going to pay for it?
When you consider Cole's age and results on the field, he'll warrant a huge deal that could go over $200 million. Chicago already spent big on Yu Darvish and eventually they'll need to shell out money for position player stars like Kris Bryant and Javier Baez.
It would be a nice fit for both parties, but money talks and it seems unrealistic for the Cubs to have the funds to bring Cole to Wrigleyville. Still, if they could figure out the financials, adding the right-hander would be a huge boost.