The Chicago Cubs are the early favorites to win the 2016 World Series and with good reason. Their youth and star power are rivaled by few teams in MLB, and they have added a couple of pieces in free agency as well to strengthen their team. However, if the Cubs wish to achieve their goals this season, they will need John Lackey to solidify the middle of their rotation.
The Cubs could have spent a ridiculous amount of money on any of the free agent pitchers this offseason, but they chose to invest in the veteran Lackey to give them experience and quality in the middle of their rotation while spending the really big bucks on Jason Heyward in the outfield.
The top of the Cubs’ rotation is set with Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester leading the way. Lackey figures to slide into the No. 3 spot and give the Cubs three pitchers at the top of their rotation capable of shutting a team down on any given day.
After the New York Mets and their young, dynamic pitching staff eliminated the Cubs from the postseason in the NLCS, nobody would have blamed the Cubs for going out and spending big on a pitcher like David Price, Johnny Cueto or Jordan Zimmermann. Instead they went with the 37-year-old Lackey, who has a proven track record and has won a couple of World Series in his career.
Lackey isn’t an ace and the Cubs don’t need him to be. They need him to pitch like he did last year when he posted a 2.77 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 3.57 FIP. There is no reason to think he won’t be somewhere close to that this season given his steady K/9 ratio which has hovered between 7.1 and 7.7 since 2013. They need Lackey to stay healthy which could be an issue at 37 even though he has been fairly healthy in recent years, having made at least 28 starts every year since 2010.
The Cubs are a serious contender in 2016. They have a lot of youth and a lot of superstar power. They are also set to score plenty of runs, with the ability to absorb injury better than most teams. However, the key to their success just happens to be their third starter in Lackey.
