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As part of RotoBaller's ongoing effort to help you dominate your fantasy league in 2017, we're publishing team previews for all 30 MLB squads. In these articles, we'll discuss each team's offseason moves, as well as their hitters, pitchers, and prospects.
Today's installment covers the 2017 Chicago Cubs Team Outlook, and previews their potential fantasy baseball contributions.
Editor's note: for even more draft prep, visit our awesome 2017 fantasy baseball rankings dashboard. It has lots of in-depth staff rankings and draft strategy columns. You will find tiered rankings for every position, 2017 impact rookie rankings, AL/NL only league ranks and lots more. Bookmark the page, and win your drafts.
Offseason Moves
The world champion Cubs’ (that still hasn't gotten old or stopped being a trip to write) biggest move this winter was trading Jorge Soler for reliever Wade Davis, who will replace the departed Aroldis Chapman in the ninth inning. They also added ageless reliever Koji Uehara, oft-injured starter Brett Anderson, and outfielder Jon Jay in free agency. Jay will likely platoon with Albert Almora in center after Dexter Fowler signed with the rival Cardinals. Chicago declined to exercise Jason Hammel’s option and David Ross retired.
Hitting Overview
Losing Fowler stings a bit, but the juggernaut lineup from a year ago is more or less intact otherwise, and getting a full season from Kyle Schwarber should certainly help. Schwarber will retain catcher eligibility in Yahoo leagues, making him that much more valuable on that platform. Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo are elite corner infielders and likely first-round picks, while the young double-play combo of Javier Baez and Addison Russell will look to continue improving at the plate. Ross’ retirement opens the door to more playing time for Willson Contreras, who was quietly excellent as a rookie. Ben Zobrist’s first season in the Windy City featured his best offensive performance in years and a World Series MVP award.
Jason Heyward’s Cubs debut was, uh…less good. He’s unlikely to be that terrible of a hitter again, but he’s still not likely to be an exciting fantasy asset. Here’s his career line prorated to 600 plate appearances: .262-76-15-60-14. For reference, that’s pretty much identical to what Denard Span did in 2016.
Pitching Overview
Jon Lester has been one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last three seasons by basically any measure, and durable to boot. Jake Arrieta struggled a bit with command last year, but still produced elite numbers anyway. Kyle Hendricks probably won’t post a 2.13 ERA again, though he’s still a good bet to finish as a top-25 SP. Veteran John Lackey just keeps getting it done – while he’s nobody’s idea of a sexy pick, he’s rocked a 3.35 ERA and 1.18 WHIP and averaged nearly 200 innings per season since 2013. Either Anderson or Mike Montgomery will be the fifth starter, and both should at least be decent streaming options.
Davis will head up a bullpen that also includes the underrated Hector Rondon and Pedro Strop, plus strikeout artists C.J. Edwards and Justin Grimm. Should Davis’ recent arm issues recur, Rondon will likely be first in line for saves. He was excellent in the role the past few seasons.
Prospects Overview
Most of the top guys in the vaunted Cubs’ system have graduated in the last couple seasons, so there aren’t a ton of interesting names for 2017. Outfielder Mark Zagunis and third baseman Jeimer Canderlario are probably ready, but have nowhere to play. Both could end up as trade bait.
Conclusion
The Cubs will again be one of baseball’s best teams in 2017 and have a great shot at bringing at least one more championship to Chicago in the next few years. With multiple elite players on both sides of the ball and several more attractive targets, fantasy owners will find plenty of value here.
