Chicago Cubs move on from Zac Gallen pursuit, per insider

The Chicago Cubs are expecting big things from newcomer Edward Cabrera, who many in the organization feel is right on the verge of moving from high-promise, high-upside young gun to powerhouse ace.

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The Cubs had to send their no. 1 prospect Owen Caissie to the Miami Marlins to get their hands on the 27-year-old righty, along with a pair of infield prospect, but, as of right now, there’s not even the slightest bit of buyer’s remorse.

Cabrera will come to the team in the most ideal of situations, too, with the least amount of stress possible in a rotation expected to carry the team to a deep playoff run.

There’s no pressure on the young talent to immediately step in and become a superstar or even to become an elite-tier starter right now. He’ll be able to slide right into the middle of a deep Cubs rotation while contributing and further developing at his own pace. Alongside fellow starters Matthew Boyd, Cade Horton, Jameson Taillon, Shota Imanaga, and the soon-to-be-returning Justin Steele, Cabrera will find a significantly dimmer spotlight shining on him.

Killing off rumors of a Cubs-Zac Gallen union

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There’ve been rumors, too, that the deep Cubs rotation could be even deeper come opening day. Buzz regarding Chicago’s continued interest in the still-unsigned Zac Gallen has been all over the place, priming Cubs fans for the possibility that Jed Hoyer and the front office may have one more big move in store before spring training fully kicks into gear.

The idea of a Cubs-Gallen union is no doubt an attractive one. After all, why WOULDN’T Chicago want a workhorse starter with ace-level chops in the rotation, even if that rotation becomes overstuffed with quality starters?

Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic, however, has just dumped some cold water on the flaming-hot Gallen rumors.

Per Sharma:

“Even as his free agency drags on, the Cubs are unlikely to land starting pitcher Zac Gallen. The longer he lingers on the market, the more concerned the Cubs front office will be that Gallen can even be an effective starter this season without a normal spring training to ramp up. A one-year deal, or an opt-out after one year, makes little sense when it means losing a draft pick. Gallen should have other suitors who would be a more logical fit.”

Logic trumps ambition

And, yeah, it makes total sense why they’d bow out of any Gallen talk at this point. Actually, it never quite made sense in the first place why the Cubs would still even be taking to Gallen, given that they retained Imanaga this offseason and traded for Cabrera.

Possibly, if the righty’s price dropped to an insane degree, the Cubs would take a grab at the 30-year-old on a short-term deal. But, realistically, that wasn’t likely to happen. It’s still pretty much a sure thing that he’ll get a decent deal somewhere, with more years attached than the Cubs would’ve felt comfortable offering.

It’s true that you can never have too much starting pitching, but the Cubs, as of right now, are about as solid in that regard as anyone else in baseball.

Cubs don’t need Gallen, anyway

Boyd, Horton, Cabrera, Taillon, Imanaga make for a solid front five and Steele should be back in the mix by mid-season. Beyond the likely A-team, there are swing men Colin Rea and Javier Assad along with Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, and top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins. The team has also brought in some low-risk non-roster arms, most recently once-upon-a-time 21-game winner Kyle Wright.

Barring some deep, dark bad luck, the Cubs should be alright when it comes to starting pitching.

If Gallen would’ve fallen into their laps, fine. You don’t turn away a pitcher like Zac Gallen if you can get him on a sweetheart deal. But they don’t NEED Gallen. And, apparently, the rumors of pursuing him are no longer worth the distractions they could create.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-zac-gallen-free-agent-rumors