Dexter Fowler arguably had the best season of his MLB career in 2015 with the Chicago Cubs, but the free-agent outfielder has yet to find a home for 2016. The Cubs remain a good fit, but the team perhaps has their reasons for not wanting to re-sign him, according to the latest rumors.
Fowler rejected the Cubs' qualifying offer and is now tied to draft-pick compensation, meaning any other team that signs him will be forced to surrender their first-round selection (unless it's in the top-10) in the upcoming MLB draft to Chicago. Teams have clearly been reluctant to do that, as evidenced by the talented free agents that are still available (Fowler, Ian Desmond, Howie Kendrick and Yovani Gallardo).
The Cubs are certainly one of those teams at this point since they lost two draft picks after signing both John Lackey and Jason Heyward away from the St. Louis Cardinals. (They won't lose a pick if they re-sign Fowler, they just won't gain one back.)
FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal examined the four aforementioned free agents that are tied to draft-pick compensation and here's his reasoning as to why the Cubs are seemingly unwilling to re-sign Fowler.
"Finally, there is Fowler, whose return to the Cubs would make similar sense, enabling Jason Heyward to remain in right, except for two things: The Cubs remain high on Jorge Soler's potential, and already have lost their top two draft choices for signing Heyward and right-hander John Lackey. They could use the comp pick for Fowler; their first selection is No. 104."
As a result, rumors have linked Fowler to a number of other destinations, including the Cubs' crosstown American League foe, the White Sox. The ChiSox were exploring the possibility of signing Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton and Alex Gordon this offseason, but were unwilling to go beyond three years for any of them. The team can certainly use an upgrade in the outfield and Fowler's ability to get on base atop the order will help sluggers Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier drive in more runs.
"Though several clubs could use him, the most sensible thing might be for Fowler to head from the North Side of Chicago to the South Side," writes Andrew Simon of Sports On Earth. "The White Sox have a protected first-rounder, and Fowler (.363 career OBP) would help an offense that ranked second-to-last in the American League in that category last year. Fowler could take time from Avisail Garcia and/or Melky Cabrera, both of whom struggled in 2015, and give the Sox the option to shift Adam Eaton to a corner."
Fowler, 29, hit .250/.363/.418 with 102 runs scored, 17 home runs, 46 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 2015, but he's garnered little interest in free agency, at least based on what's been reported. He's expected to land a multi-year deal, but the crowded class of outfielders this offseason (in addition to the draft-pick compensation) has delayed his signing.
Expect the veteran to sign with a team soon, but don't expect that team to be the Cubs.
