There is no wrong way for the Chicago Cubs to spend money this offseason as long as they do it.
Coming off a second-straight season where the Cubs fell short of a realistic playoff goal, there is immense pressure to build a real contender in Chicago. The Cubs spent a record $40 million on manager Craig Counsell last winter, and that investment will soon look foolish if he can't take his team to the playoffs.
The Cubs' starting pitching wasn't a weakness this season, but it still could use reinforcements in order to build a true powerhouse. As free agency rapidly approaches, the Cubs are surely beginning to weigh the potential rotation options getting set to hit the open market.
One of the more intriguing names available for the Cubs, given his current team's depth at starting pitcher, is the Atlanta Braves' Max Fried. Fried has spent eight years in Atlanta, but the Braves are stacked in the rotation and may let him walk without much of a fight.
Fried was recently named as a "cheaper" option for the Cubs than fellow free agent Corbin Burnes by Michael Brakebill of FanSided. The lefty is currently projected to earn a $149 million contract by Spotrac.
"Max Fried is a cheaper alternative to Burnes but puts up solid production this year, as witnessed by his 3.25 ERA in nearly 175 innings this season," Brakebill said. "Adding Fried may be more intelligent if it saves the Cubs money to add to their roster elsewhere."
Fried, 30, has been one of the most consistent hurlers in the game for more than half a decade. His Braves career includes a 73-36 record, 3.07 ERA, two All-Star Games, and a 2021 World Series ring.
While Brakebill's analysis about Fried being cheaper than Burnes may prove correct, the Cubs cannot afford to treat the lefty as any sort of backup option. Top-tier pitching is at such a premium nowadays, particularly in this free-agent cycle, that any star pitcher will have a robust market and his choice of several destinations.
Chicago could be a great home for Fried, and he would give the Cubs a truly fearsome starting rotation. But the Cubs will have to have the urgency required to outbid the game's other big-market teams in search of pitching themselves.
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