Chicago Cubs: Down free agent market creates financial conundrum

Major League Baseball’s collapsing free agent market means it is easier than ever for teams to save money when signing free agents. But for a team such as the Chicago Cubs who went into the offseason trying to move money, the collapsing market made that nearly impossible.

For the Chicago Cubs, trading away Tyler Chatwood or Jason Heyward and their contracts would have been difficult in any market. After the record high walk rate that Chatwood had last season and the drop in offensive output that Heyward has had since joining the Cubs, their contracts are close to unmovable. The Cubs would need to eat so much of their salary that certainly Heyward and perhaps even Chatwood is more valuable to…