Starting to think about 2017

I’m not entirely ready to start thinking about next year yet.  I’m still enjoying this year (side note: Friday at 7pm on FS1 is the 2016 Cubs movie that MLB produced).  There hasn’t been a ton of offseason movement or rumors yet, and the Cubs haven’t really done anything of note, unless of course you’re a 40 man roster fanatic.  Seeing that Fangraphs has put out their 2017 projections made me at least put up this post.  If anything major comes up during the winter meetings, I might start a new topic.  But for now, this is as good of a thread to talk about the offseason that we can bring up as things happen.

Without thinking about it too much, the few things that jump out at me in the projections, in no particular order:

1. Candelario, as they pointed out in the article.  From what I’ve read about him, he isn’t seen as a great defender.  He does have multi-position flexibility going for him, but on the wrong end of the spectrum that is pretty solidly covered by the current roster (3b/1b/lf/rf).  A nice benefit is that he’s switch-handed.  He really tore up AAA in limited time: 309PAs, .333/.417/.542, but doesn’t seem to have a place on the current roster.  I also don’t see how a Soler, or even Schwarber, trade even clears enough space for him.  You would think they’d still want to get him regular ABs, so a Coghlan or LaStella role would probably be less than ideal now.  His clearest path right now is as an injury replacement; or perhaps he can big a bigger trade piece than we’ve seen before.
2. Schwarber, as has been talked about here plenty, is a guy most Cubs fans feel, and we get the impression the FO agrees, is likely to exceed his relatively modest projection.  The defense has been talked to death - and I’m firmly in the he can get up to pretty close to averagish in LF for now if left alone and healthy - and the advanced metrics do love him (3rd on the team in wOBA).  I just feel he can cut down on that K rate without giving up too much power, and up that BA (either by getting better against LHP or just being platooned out against them).  Regardless, it’s just fun to think about the lineup with him back full time.
3. Fowler.  That’s still a really good forecast for him, and he’s surely going to be worth whatever contract he gets, at least in the short term.  I still don’t see the Cubs resigning him, but the emotional side would still love to see him back.  If he did come back, and for multiple years, perhaps that allows for a Soler/Almora trade package for that elusive young, cost controlled starter*.
4. Lackey.  I’ll never really like him, although I see his uses.  That he’s still this effective as his age is pretty impressive.  Having him as the 5th starter would be an awesome best-case scenario, pipe-dream.

*In a complete one of his make-believe columns for ESPN, Jim Bowden (I know) said he’d like to see the Cubs/Rays made a deal.  He suggested Happ/Soler/Almora/Edwards for Archer/Kiermaier/Colome.  While I’m not crazy about that exact trade, it’s at least an interesting idea and seem fairly reasonable on paper.  I think how fair depends on how you feel about some of those guys; but it would at least seem to address on paper how each team could be addressing their rosters (and of course, saves the Rays money, though since Archer has such a reasonable deal it’s not *that* much big picture). 

The floor is now open.