I've specifically stated the Cubs had a poorly constructed roster at the start of the season and it's been extremely evident in the playoffs. You keep making posts that distract.
1. Perhaps you can't have a discussion about it, because it appears all you have are numbers. I've stated this repeatedly and you don't get it. Numbers don't play the game. If numbers played the game, Epstein would be a robotic GM/Pres. He's even admitted that numbers don't tell the whole story of a player, but here you are arguing something else.
2. I'm sorry you can't measure it.
I've already explained this. I'm not rehashing it to someone being deliberately obtuse in order to try to win an argument.
Let's see. With Fowler, Cubs won the World Series. Without Fowler, Cubs are looking more like a team that will be swept out of the NLCS. That's the only objective data that matters in the end.
Based upon the numbers you provided, the Nats should have beaten the Cubs. Whoops!
I'm honestly not trying to be a dick here or "win an argument." I'm trying to understand your points. Seriously that's all I'm trying to do here. What's confusing to me is you seem to be saying multiple things and I'm not sure which is your true feeling. So, I think it breaks down to this. Are you A) Saying it was a mistake to not re-sign fowler and that's it B) saying they need to sign a lead off hitter or C) saying they need to sign a lead off hitter who is also a vet presence? If you're just saying A then I sorta get where you're coming from. Fowler is a good player and you'll remember I was one of the people supporting him in 2015 near the all-star break when people were ready to run him out of town. That being said, given the money he got it was probably always going to be unfeasible since as we look toward 2018's offseason the cubs have a lot of pitching holes and when he signed the cubs didn't know they were going to have Q for certain.
As for B & C, I don't ever remember instances of Fowler being cited as a club house leader. He was a great hitter but like I said I don't remember him being much of a leader. If you're making the argument that the cubs lack leadership from 2016 to this year to me that loss was Ross not Fowler. Again maybe I'm not understand what you're saying here but if you just think they are short on leadership I think a far more realistic scenario is they just find the next David Ross like back up catcher to put behind Contreras starting ~60% of the games. Avila and Rivera are both FA IIRC and Caratini seems to green to make the every day roster for 2018.
As for them just needing a lead off hitter, to me that's more a "wouldn't it be nice if" rather than a must have. I truly don't believe any other lead off hitter makes a difference in the 7 post season games. Unless it's someone who's literally homering multiple times in those 7 games he's likely just going to get on base and with the way Rizzo/Bryant have hit he'll get stranded. I know this because Jay has lead off a number of these games with a hit. The reason I brought up the whole 2017 runs/wRC+ thing was to show that even without an obvious lead off guy they were still a top 5 offense. So sure, it would be great to have a Dexter Fowler type hitter at the top of the line up. But if I had the choice between Dexter Fowler at $16.5 mil or Jay/Almora at $8.5 and a $8 mil set up guy right now I'd take the set up guy with what they have.
Frankly, I'd love if they found a way to sign say Lorenzo Cain as well as do all the things I said. But I honestly think that's entirely unlikely. They have ~$75 mil coming off their books. Assuming they re-sign Davis, replace Koji, Duensing, Rondon, back up C, Jay's replacement, and 2 starters you're easily looking at $60 mil+ and that's before you factor in arbitration for Russell/Hendricks/Bryant. Presumably they also would like to get below the luxury tax given how badly those rules hurt now. So, realistically only way I see them signing someone like Cain is if they either A) land Otani by some miracle or B) find a way to move Heyward or Zobrist. If they could find someone to take on Zobrist's 2 years $29 mil I'd be thrilled. Can't imagine anyone takes on Heyward's deal however.