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Chicago Cubs Must Re-Sign Aroldis Chapman In MLB Free Agency

By Evan Massey
Published on: 04:24 PST, Nov 3, 2016

The Chicago Cubs won the 2016 World Series over the Cleveland Indians, despite trailing three games to one at one point in the series. It was an amazing comeback victory and snapped the curse that has plagued the Cubs for the last 108 years.

Aroldis Chapman was a huge part of the Cubs’ World Series run. He was acquired at the MLB trade deadline by the Cubs in a blockbuster deal with the New York Yankees. It was a move Theo Epstein made in hopes that he would help them break the curse, which ended up working exactly how he had planned.

Following his trade, Chapman ended up pitching 26.2 innings for the Cubs in the regular season. He compiled a 1.01 ERA to go along with 16 saves and 46 strikeouts. Chapman was dominant for the Cubs down the stretch of the regular season.

Singling out his postseason statistics, Chapman had some trouble. He ended up with a 3.45 ERA to go along with four saves and 21 strikeouts. Despite the struggles when looking at the numbers on the surface, his true value for Chicago can’t be seen until you look at some key games in particular.

First and foremost, his performance in Game 5 of the World Series to keep the Cubs alive was impressive. He pitched 2.2 innings to record the save and only gave up one hit with no runs. Chapman struck out four batters and without him on the mound, there is no guarantee that the Cubs would have continued their season.

Joe Maddon became overly reliant on Chapman throughout the remainder of the World Series. Despite struggling in Game 7, Chapman came back after giving up the lead to pitch one more scoreless inning. He ended up getting the win for the game when everything was said and done.

Looking back at the San Francisco Giants’ series, Chapman came through with big performances in Game 1, 2, and 5. He was a shutdown option at the end of each of those games for the Cubs. Chapman also put up big performances against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 1 to close the game out.

All of that being said, the Cubs have to go out and re-sign Chapman this offseason in MLB free agency.

Epstein is going to have a lot to consider when it comes to Chapman. He is going to command a high price on the open free agency market. Chicago may decide to go a different route with their money, but having that kind of a power option at the end of the bullpen is something that Maddon and the Cubs need.

At just 28-years-old, the Cubs could offer him a big four-year extension and be 100 percent safe. They would have a lot of money tied up in the bullpen, but that is one of their main needs.

Offensively, the Cubs are going to be just fine. They have a lot of young talent coming up and already will have a lot of trouble finding roles for all of their talent. Chicago could use one more elite starting pitcher, although they could likely afford both Chapman and another big name starter.

[Image by Ben Margot/AP Images]

There are going to be a lot of other teams in the bidding war to sign Chapman. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, and San Francisco Giants will likely make a run at him. While they could steal him away, Chapman seemed to fit in well with the Cubs and made a lot of friends on the roster.

It was obvious by the end of the season that his chemistry with the Cubs couldn’t be better. He also seemed to respect Maddon and was very open on social media about his desire to win a World Series for the Cubs’ fan base.

Needless to say, this is going to be a very interesting offseason for the Cubs’ front office to handle.

All of that being said, the Cubs must bring Chapman back this offseason. He was too important for them this season, even though his numbers may not impress some. Having Chapman at the end of the bullpen is exactly what teams need to close out games, especially in big postseason games.

Do you think the Chicago Cubs need to re-sign Aroldis Chapman in MLB Free Agency this offseason? What other teams do you think will end up pursuing him? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[Featured Image by David J. Phillip/AP Images]

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