2020 salary terms still need to be hammered out. But what about what’s owed to players beyond that point? The near-term economic picture remains questionable at best. That’ll make teams all the more cautious with guaranteed future salaries.
Every organization has some amount of future cash committed to players, all of it done before the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe. There are several different ways to look at salaries; for instance, for purposes of calculating the luxury tax, the average annual value is the touchstone, with up-front bonuses spread over the life of the deal. For this exercise, we’ll focus on actual cash outlays that still have yet to be paid.
We’ll run through every team, with a big assist from the Cot’s Baseball Contracts database. Prior entries can be found here. Next up is the Cubs:
*Includes remaining bonus payments owed to Jason Heyward
*Includes buyout on club options in Kyle Hendricks, Craig Kimbrel, David Bote, Anthony Rizzo, and Daniel Descalso contracts
*Includes buyout on mutual option in Jon Lester contract
(click to expand/view detail list)
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YOU’LL GET NOTHING AND LIKE IT!
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I know it’s not guaranteed money but plausibly need to add $75 million for 2021 to cover arbitration contracts and picking up Rizzo’s option.
An extension or two is looking possible by the end of 2021.
The ‘21 Rizzo option seems highly likely, but we will see after that. I am not at all convinced that they won’t let him become a FA for ‘22.
Rizzo will be past his prime looking for big money. The cubs would be dumb to keep him
He’s been nothing but a team leader whose shown no sign of aging yet in any stat. There’s no way they don’t pick up his ’21 option and I’ll bet Theo, the guy who originally signed him early on, will want to sign him to an extension if possible.
Play it by ear with Rizzo for his two option years and then wave goodbye. After that he’ll be a 32 year old who already has had back problems. That is not an extension Theo and Jed need to explore.
Past his prime? He’s 30 and won’t be 31 til August. He’s in his prime right now.
Kind of like the dumb extension the Cardinals gave Matt Carpenter?
I agree
They owe them about tree fiddy
Extending rizzo is a no brainer. Pick up his option for ’21 extend him at least 3 more years. Then extend Baez. And hope tbey can sign KB as a free agent. He wont sign an extension but that doesn’t mean he’ll leave. Especially when he doesn’t want to leave. Boras wants him to leave.
Boras wants the most money, doesn’t care where is comes from.
Dollars owed to players after 2020
Gleyber Torres-$0.00
Eloy Jimenez-$0.00
Dylan Cease-$0.00
Jorge Soler-$0.00
D.J. LeMaheiu-$0.00
Ouch
Really? You’re counting DJ at this point in the game. The guys the Cubs had at second base (Barney, Russell, Zobrist, Baez) come very close to matching DJ’s production while he was with the Rockies. DJ wasn’t above average until he won a BABIP fueled batting title the year the Cubs won the World Series.
And Soler and Eloy are DHs who were blocked on the Cubs.
I’ll give you Cease. It would be nice to have him at the back of the rotation but he’s still unproven.
Probably still mad about James shields for Tatis Jr so he trolls on every article
And the Cubs traded Josh Donaldson, an actual superstar, for a year and a half of Rich Harden… You still mad about that?
I can see why the Sox made that trade. They needed to replace Shark. Let me check. I hope they didn’t give up too much for Samardzjia.
Josh Donaldson was also a catcher with an uncertain future in their system.
And Tatis was a skinny 17 year old that never played a professional game and wasn’t even considered a top 20 international prospect in his class. You don’t think he had an “uncertain future in their system”?
Tatis Jr. Was highly touted even with the white Sox organization. Just admit your team F’d up when they traded for a guy that was 5 years passed his prime.
Nobody knew what Donaldson would be at that point. What he had shown up to that point didn’t show what he’d become. Even the A’s had no idea. I’m not a Cubs fan but that’s a hell of a stretch.
He must have been short on time….he forgot to list:
Andrew Cashner–$0.00
Scott Feldman–$0.00
Starlin Castro–$0.00
Ryan Demspter–$0.00
Luis Valbuena–$0.00
Dan Straily–$0.00
Jeff Samardjiza–$0.00
Jason Hammel–$0.00
Steve Clevenger–$0.00
Zack Godley–$0.00
Dan Vogelbach–$0.00
Matt Garza–$0.00
Sean Marshall–$0.00
All traded for or to help acquire: Arrieta, Strop, Zobrist, Rizzo, Russell, Hendricks, Montero, Montgomery, Edwards, Wood, Grimm…….all who have a ring in their personal collection.
Oops, one more:
Carlos Rodon–$0.00……….dang, he was snagged one pick before Schwarber in the draft. Shucks–missed out on that gem.
Blocked by Swarber? I guess they did get Davis and Quintana. Still to be seen, but could go down as 2 of the worst trades in Cubs history.
I’m fairly certain that DJ was Theo’s first trade and he got the mighty Ian Stewart in return. Hahahaha! Arrieta was so obviously put on PEDs after his trade to Cubs so that’s just not right. Honestly that was the most blatant PED usage in past 5 years.
@kyleschwarbersmom- You really counted Cubs as having Barney, Russell, Zobrist & Baez as second basemen when Theo traded DJ? Only 2 of them were with Cubs then. Russell didn’t come over to Cubs til summer of 2014 and Zobrist December of ’15. DJ was traded in 2011! Lots of domestic/marital issues at that 2b for Cubs too (Starlin had few issues too- rape allegations, clubbin incidents, etc). Cubbies & their fans are so classy though!
The point was that the value of DJs performance while with the Rockies was not significantly better. Go check fWAR and rWAR for DJ compared to Barney from 2012-2014. By the time DJ broke out, the Cubs were not hurt by trading him.
Torres trade got a championship, cant be upset. Eloy hurts, but still haven’t seen the lasting effects at all on that. Not to mention with Theo’s love for Schwarber, he likely didn’t have an everyday spot. Cease is a #4 starter trajectory, sure it sucks to lose someone who can eat innings but thats baseball trades. Soler had so many oppurtunties to be our RF, he couldn’t produce here. Good for him for finally showing up in KC. DJ was another case of different scenery provided better results. Point at all the trades that did and didnt happen, so what. White Sox fans are more concerned with trying to make pot shots at cubs affiliated topics than actually goto their stadium and cheer on their team.
While the Torres trade is one you’d like to have back and put in someone else. That WS meant more than several WS for some teams. It’s hard to discount any moves that lead to Chicago finally winning one. Like had they lost or been eliminated earlier. Chapman for Torres would have been pretty bad.
So cubs can sign Torres jiminez when they are free agents . Will they need them ? If Howard and hoerner Strumpf pan out. Need Marquez and Alzolay to be stud pitchers
It’ll be an interesting next two seasons in Chicago with those contracts coming due everywhere and the two big ones still on the books.
Justin Hayward has been such a disappointment. I had no idea they still owed him so much money…..yikes
What are you talking about? Justin Hayward made the MOODY BLUES a great classic rock band.
he wrote that note on a…..Tuesday Afternoon!
If you’re gonna troll, at least get the names right