Da Windy City
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Chicago Cubs: The unbiased opinion of a White Sox fan

By Rob Schwarz Jr

LAS VEGAS - MARCH 05: Stephanie Magnuson, 8, of Nevada holds a sign before an exhibition game between the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox at Cashman Field March 5, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS - MARCH 05: Stephanie Magnuson, 8, of Nevada holds a sign before an exhibition game between the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox at Cashman Field March 5, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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The Cubs have seen a great return on investment when it comes to most of the players in their farm system. Kris Bryant, although in a bit of a funk currently, has been one of the best third basemen in baseball since being called up to the big show. Kyle Schwarber and Ian Happ have had their ups and downs, but are still relatively young at 26 and 24.

The question is, where does the team go from here. It seems they have a few “untouchable” guys in Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez. Some even say Wilson Contreras should be on that list, but I am not afraid to move him if the deal made sense this offseason or next.

One guy who for sure should not be on this team next year is Addison Russell. I will not go into my personal feelings about him, but he has been awful this year too. Russell enters arbitration in the offseason. My guess is the team will low-ball him at the full 20 percent reduction. That would mean he’d earn $2.7 million. If possible, maybe Theo Epstein finds a way to trade him. If not, just cut him or keep him in the minors. I’ll admit I do not know the full nuances of their options here.

The Cubs farm system is somewhat depleted since many of their young guys have been called up over the last few years. Looking at the MLB top 100 list, the Cubs have two players. Nico Hoerner is at number 50. Miguel Amaya is currently 91st.

Hoerner was drafted in the first round of the 2018 draft. He is currently in Double-A where he is slashing .258/.318/.411. He is listed as a short-stop but is more likely to be a second baseman. Amaya is only 20 years old and is a strong defensive catcher. He was signed on an international contract in 2015. He is struggling though at the plate. He is slashing .230/.344/.385 in Single A+.

The Cubs have a ton of arms in the minors too. I find pitching prospects to be a little more difficult to project, but none are currently in the top 100 rankings. Ryan Jensen, Cole Roederer and Brailyn Marquez are the top arms who are all projected to be up in 2022. With Cole Hamels going to free agency in 2020 and Jose Quintana with only a year left, the Cubs will need these guys to hit.

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Overall, the team is still built fairly well for the next couple of years. They might have to trade one of their big three in a year or two to reload their farm system or make strategic moves with some of their older veterans like Jon Lester. Cubs fans should still feel happy with the team though and still excited for the future. The team is here to compete no and in the future.

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