As anticipated, the guaranteed amount Brandon Webb received from the Rangers – $3 million – was simply too much for the Chicago Cubs to spend on a lottery ticket. By early accounts, he can earn another couple million through incentives.
When the offseason began, most thought Webb would be fortunate to land a guaranteed deal of any amount, let alone one for a few million bones. The rise from possible minor league deal to $3 million ML deal was, in my opinion, less a product of Webb turning heads in offseason throwing demonstrations, and more a product of a thin pitching market with the best available options being consolidated on a handful of teams.
This isn’t a matter of the Cubs being cheap, by the way – you’ll note that even the Yankees, who would love to add another back-end starter, didn’t entertain making an offer like that for Webb.