For the second time in three seasons, the St. Louis Cardinals are acquiring a star player from the NL West, and it spells bad news for the Chicago Cubs. Essentially, the Cardinals are getting a free trial of Arenado for the first season as the Rockies will pay around $35 million, while receiving multiple prospects and no pro-level ready talent.
The trade is official, and the top-five player in baseball certainly puts the Cubs’ largest rival ahead of them for 2021. The odds on FanDuel agree.
Cardinals Favored To Win Division (+200)
It was hard when the Cardinals acquired Paul Goldschmidt from the D’Backs, but this is the worst thing that’s happened for Cubs fans since Theo Epstein stepped down as the team’s President of Baseball Operations.
As I said, this offseason has been an all-timer for the Cubs and their fans, but this news tops all of the other heartbreak. Arenado is far and away one of the best players in MLB offensively and defensively. Not to mention, he’s on track to have his name in Cooperstown one day.
The 29-year-old third baseman is in the prime of his career and is under club control for the next seven seasons. Between Goldschmidt, Paul DeJong, and Arenado, the Redbird’s infield is going to be off the charts defensively.
Here is the way FanDuel has things stacked up as of February 1, 2021.
- Cardinals (+200)
- Reds (+220)
- Cubs (+330)
- Brewers (+340)
- Pirates (Forget about it… +5000)
Looking at their starting rotation, their ace, Jack Flaherty, is probably the best pitcher in the division. Honorable mentions would be Kyle Hendricks of the Cubs and Brandon Woodruff of the Milwaukee Brewers. Following Flaherty, their rotation will likely be Kwang Hyun Kim, Carlos Martinez, Miles Mikolas, and Dakota Hudson in no specific order.
If that’s not enough, their bullpen is going to be insane too. Jordan Hicks, Alex Reyes, and Andrew Miller may break the speed gun this season. Hicks and Reyes have the ability to throw upper 90s and into the low 100s.
Can The Cubs Pull Off The Upset? (+330)
The short answer is yes, of course they can, but they need another competitive starting pitcher like Mike Foltnewicz. The former highest Illinois pitcher draft pick in MLB history, he gives them a better shot than the alternatives.
Getting back to my point, there is no chance the Cubs will win the division with a one, two punch of Hendricks and Zach Davies. Taking a flyer on Foltynewicz, a former all-star starter in 2018, gives them a shot to compete. If nothing else, it’s a better move than reuniting with Jake Arrieta, who is reportedly asking for $8-10 million.
Let’s not forget about the Cubs lineup either. Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, and Wilson Contreras are awesome hitters. Cubs fans like to forget that Bryant has been hindered by injuries. If he’s healthy, watch out.
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