theres no need to sign any starting pitching. let Lester go and plug in a minor league arm. Results will be the same or better. Relief pitching is the only area they should spend some assets to get. Whether it be FA or maybe get a guy thru a schwarber trade for example. Kinda like the soler for Wade Davis type of deal.
they can trade Bryant and schwarber and add a guy to the bullpen and still be shedding payroll in the process. You can invest in a player or two while still shedding salary and be a better overall team for it
Darvish
Hendricks
Mills
Alzolay
Brailyn Marquez (They could push him in 2021)
LHP, Chicago Cubs
Scouting Grades/Report (20-80 grading scale)
- FASTBALL
80
- SLIDER
55
- CHANGEUP
50
- CONTROL
50
- OVERALL
55
The Cubs gave Marquez the largest signing bonus ($600,000) for a left-hander on the international market in 2015 because he already pushed his fastball into the low 90s at age 16 and his projectable frame portended more velocity in the future. The Dominican since has become the hardest-throwing southpaw starter in the Minors, topping out at 102 mph and repeatedly reaching triple digits in 2019. He finished with a flourish, posting a 1.17 ERA, .445 opponent OPS and a 48/8 K/BB ratio in 38 1/3 innings over his last seven starts.
Marquez's fastball velocity has soared as he has gotten stronger and cleaned up his mechanics, sitting at 91-93 mph in 2017, at 93-96 in 2018 and at 96-98 last year, when he was still just 20 years old. His power breaking ball can be a plus pitch at its best, resembling a slider more than a curveball, though it can get slurvy at times as well. He has dominated lefty hitters but has had less success against righties, so he'll need to refine a changeup that has promising life but sometimes arrives too firm in the low 90s.
Marquez's long limbs and low three-quarters arm slot don't make it easy to repeat his delivery and stay on top of his pitches, but he's making progress. After struggling to harness his electric fastball at the beginning of last year, he cut his walk rate from 5.8 per nine innings in his first 15 starts of 2019 to 1.9 in his final seven. While the Theo Epstein/Jed Hoyer administration has had trouble developing pitching prospects, Marquez is their most promising arm yet and a potential frontline starter.
Kohl Franklin (2 years out)
RHP, South Bend Cubs, A (Full)
Scouting Grades/Report (20-80 grading scale)
- FASTBALL
60
- CURVEBALL
55
- CHANGEUP
55
- CONTROL
50
- OVERALL
50
Oklahoma's top high school prospect in 2018, Franklin missed most of his senior season with a broken right foot and dropped to the sixth round. The nephew of former All-Star Ryan Franklin, he signed for $540,000, the equivalent of third-round money. His stuff took a significant step forward last summer and the Cubs are eager to see how he handles a jump to full-season ball in 2020.
Franklin's fastball velocity continues to rise as he fills out his 6-foot-4 frame, climbing from 86-89 mph in 2017 to 89-93 in 2018 to 91-97 last summer. After not showing much aptitude for spinning the ball as an amateur, he switched to a knuckle-curve grip in 2019 and flashed a solid to plus breaker with increased depth. He has advanced feel for his fading changeup, giving him a quality three-pitch arsenal.
Franklin still has room to add strength, so his stuff could continue to add power. He's athletic, repeats his delivery well and throws strikes on a steep downhill plane created by his size and high three-quarters arm slot. He's young and will need time to develop, but he offers hope for a mid-rotation starter to an organization that has struggled to develop pitching.
Cory Abbott (1 year out)
RHP, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, A (Adv)
Scouting Grades/Report (20-80 grading scale)
- FASTBALL
50
- CURVEBALL
55
- SLIDER
55
- CHANGEUP
50
- CONTROL
50
- OVERALL
45
After altering the grip on his slider by watching video of Noah Syndergaard, Abbott broke out as a Loyola Marymount junior in 2017. He authored the first perfect game in school history, went 43 innings without permitting and earned run and set Lions records for strikeout rate (11.9 per nine innings) and opponent average (.173), propelling himself into the second round of the Draft. He has continued to cruise in pro ball, leading the Cubs system in ERA in each of his two full seasons and topping all of Double-A with 166 strikeouts last year.
Abbott mostly misses bats with his variety of solid breaking pitches, an 82-84 mph slider with depth that he can morph into a harder, tighter 80s cutter, and a 78-81 mph curveball with bigger break that he employs more against left-handers. He throws two- and four-seam fastballs, usually ranging from 90-93 mph with a peak of 95. His fading changeup also has the makings of an average pitch.
Abbott has an easy delivery that he repeats well and likes to attack hitters, so he provides plenty of strikes. He can't overpower hitters, yet he keeps them off balance by mixing his wide variety of pitches. The Cubs have had difficulty drafting and developing pitchers but he could give them a durable back-of-the-rotation starter in the near future.
Riley Thompson (2 years out)
RHP, South Bend Cubs, A (Full)
Scouting Grades/Report (20-80 grading scale)
- FASTBALL
60
- CURVEBALL
60
- CHANGEUP
50
- CONTROL
50
- OVERALL
45
Thompson attracted scouts by reaching 96 mph with his fastball as a Kentucky high school senior in 2015, but he blew out his elbow two weeks before the Draft and had Tommy John surgery. He redshirted during his first year at Louisville, then had sporadic success the next two springs while also dealing with shoulder troubles before signing for $200,000 as an 11th-rounder in 2018. He stayed healthy and won two championships in his first two years as a pro, clinching the low Class A Midwest League title last September with 10 strikeouts over five hitless innings.
Thompson topped out at 100 mph with his fastball during his pro debut, then sat at 92-95 mph and repeatedly hit 97 last year while working 103 1/3 innings -- 19 more than he totaled in 2016-18. He has some of the best curveball spin rates in the system, contributing to a power downer that ranges from 82-86 mph and sometimes breaks so much he has trouble landing it for strikes. He has made strides with his changeup after adopting a split-finger grip, though he sometimes falls in love with his offspeed pitch.
Though he struggled to find the strike zone in college, Thompson has shown average control since cleaning up the lower half in his delivery and getting more regular work. As he continues to build up innings, he could add a bit more velocity. His first full season as a pro couldn't have gone much better and has the Cubs thinking he could become a mid-rotation starter.
Yovanny Cruz (Low upside)
RHP, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, A (Adv)
Scouting Grades/Report (20-80 grading scale)
- FASTBALL
60
- SLIDER
55
- CHANGEUP
50
- CONTROL
50
- OVERALL
45
In the penalty box after overspending in 2015 to land Miguel Amaya, Christopher Morel and Brailyn Marquez among others, the Cubs were limited to bonuses of no more than $300,000 for the next two international signing periods. The best prospect from their 2016 crop is Cruz, who signed for $60,000 out of the Dominican Republic. He didn't pitch above short-season ball in his first three seasons and was hampered by tendinitis in 2019, but he has one of the more electric arms in the system.
Cruz has a power sinker with low spin rates that sits at 92-96 mph and tops out at 99, eliciting swings and misses as well as weak ground-ball contact. He shows good feel for spinning the ball and shows flashes of a plus slider. He also has an advanced changeup that could be at least a solid third offering.
Cruz generates quality stuff without much effort. He has a clean delivery and repeats it easily, which bodes well for his durability and strike-throwing ability. He's still a long way from Wrigley Field but could develop into a mid-rotation starter.
Justin Steele (filler 2021)
LHP, Chicago Cubs
Scouting Grades/Report (20-80 grading scale)
- FASTBALL
55
- CURVEBALL
55
- CHANGEUP
50
- CONTROL
50
- OVERALL
40
The Cubs saved enough money by drafting Kyle Schwarber fourth overall in 2014 to afford seven-figure bonuses for three high school pitchers in the middle rounds. Only Steele ($1 million, fifth round) remains after Dylan Cease ($1.5 million, sixth) went to the White Sox in the Jose Quintana trade in 2017 and Carson Sands ($1.1 million, fourth) was released in 2018. Steele had Tommy John surgery in August 2017 and made an impressive comeback 11 months later, but he battled his control and command in Double-A last year before an oblique injury ended his season in June.
Even during a lost year, Steele still showed flashes of two plus pitches. His four-seam fastball sits at 92-95 mph and touches 97 with high spin rates and good life up in the strike zone. He possesses one of the best curveballs in the system, combining power and true downer action when it's on.
Injuries limited Steele to just 320 2/3 innings in his first six years as pro, and he needs better health and more experience to add some polish. He has some feel for his changeup but needs to use it more often, and he's still learning how to repeat his delivery in order to provide consistent strikes. He still offers the upside of a mid-rotation starter, but he'll also open 2020 as a 24-year-old who hasn't had much success above Class A Advanced.
Filler 2021
Tyson Miller
RHP, Chicago Cubs
One of 16 college pitchers taken by the Cubs with their first 18 picks in 2016, Miller went in the fourth round to become the first NCAA Division II selection that June and the highest choice ever out of California Baptist (surpassing 2014 seventh-rounder Trevor Oaks). He broke out in 2018, when he led the Class A Advanced Carolina League in strikeouts (126 in 127 innings), opponent average (.220) and WHIP (1.09). He continued to thrive in Double-A in the first half of 2019 but Triple-A hitters tagged him for a 7.58 ERA following his July promotion.
Miller has had more success the last two years by shelving his two-seam fastball in favor of his four-seamer, which ranges from 90-95 mph and plays better than its radar-gun readings with high spin rates and natural cutting action up in the strike zone. His mid-80s slider/cutter works well when he mixes it with his four-seamer and keeps it down in the zone. When his velocity on both pitches dipped in the second half of last season, he got pounded.
Miller has some feel for a changeup, though it couldn't keep left-handers from teeing off on him in Triple-A. His control is better than his command, and he'll need to do a better job of locating his pitches because he won't miss many bats in the strike zone. His ability to maintain his stuff over the course of a season may determine whether he's a back-of-the-rotation starter or just a middle reliever.
