Hoyer: Door still open to bring back Schwarber
OF now a free agent after team refused to tender contract
The contributions of Kyle Schwarber and Albert Almora Jr. in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series are a distant memory for now, as the Chicago Cubs began to retool their offense by electing not to tender either outfielder a contract by Wednesday’s 7 p.m. deadline.
Both players are now free agents. They still can re-sign with the Cubs, but Schwarber — who hit 38 home runs in 2019 and hit the single that started the game-winning rally in the 10th inning against the Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series — is likely to draw interest from teams such as the Indians, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox for his lefthanded power.
“It was a hard conversation,” Cubs President Jed Hoyer said during a conference call of his chat with Schwarber. “I expressed we’d definitely keep the door open. We have and will talk to (agent) Casey Close about ways to bring him back.
“I’ve also expressed if that doesn’t work out, (we appreciate) the affection and attitude for all he’s done. He’s always going to be a Cubs legend, no question about that, as he should be.”
As expected, the Cubs tendered contracts to 2016 National League MVP Kris Bryant and All-Star shortstop Javier Baez, both of whom can become free agents after the 2021 season.
But parting ways, at least for now, with Schwarber, the fourth pick in the 2014 draft, represents the start of a transition period as the Cubs enter an uncertain future.
There are no definitive projections of 2021 revenues after the COVID-19 pandemic prevented fans from attending games at Wrigley Field this year. There’s also no clarity on roster limits or whether the NL will keep the designated hitter, leaving executives to structure their rosters with no certainties.
That will lead to a slow-developing marketplace this winter as teams examine a larger free-agent pool and trade options — which will include Bryant and perhaps Baez.
The Cubs need to address an offense that struck out too frequently and failed to make contact efficiently. They will try to re-sign Schwarber even though he batted .188 with a 29.5% strikeout rate in 2020 and produced a 71.9% contact rate during his 5½ seasons with the Cubs, according to Fangraphs.
While Ian Happ stabilized the top of the order this year for the first time since Dexter Fowler left as a free agent in 2017, the Cubs could seek another top-of-theorder batter with a high on-base percentage.
Schwarber, Baez and Bryant were three of several Cubs who struggled during the truncated 60-game season. But Hoyer felt each would have gone on a hot streak during a normal 162-game season.
“This past season was just a small data point and not one that pushed the decision,” Hoyer said. “I think making big decisions based on 2020 would be kind of a mistake.”
Hoyer said he didn’t sense that Schwarber was surprised by the non-tender. But “obviously, he was disappointed,” Hoyer said.
Schwarber was projected to earn at least $8 million had the Cubs tendered him a contract. The Cubs laid off more than 100 employees in their baseball and business operations departments this fall, and the player payroll is the likely next target for cuts.
Schwarber, 27, will be remembered for his home run in the clinching game of the 2015 National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals that landed on top of the right-field video board at Wrigley Field and for his heroic performance in the 2016 World Series after missing nearly all of that season because of torn knee ligaments.
The 26-year-old Almora — who pinch ran for Schwarber in Game 7 against the Indians and advanced to second on a deep fly to center before scoring on Ben Zobrist’s hit — was the sixth pick in the 2012 draft and the first pick of the Theo Epstein regime.
His stock started to decline in 2019, when he batted .236 with a .271 on-base percentage. He lost his part-time center-field duties when Happ got off to a fast start in 2020, and Almora had only 34 plate appearances through Aug. 30 before he was optioned to the alternate training site in South Bend, Ind.