Biggest Winners and Losers for Chicago Cubs' Offseason

Most around the baseball world think the Chicago Cubs had a very successful offseason. After all, they added coveted ace Jon Lester to the fold and bolstered their bench, bullpen and catcher spot. Suddenly, the playoffs don't seem like a pipe dream for the Cubs in 2015. 

For individual players and units on the team, this offseason affected each differently. Some largely benefit from the moves made this offseason, while others do not. Here are the three biggest winners and losers for the Cubs based on their offseason moves.

Winner: Jon Lester

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Well, Jon Lester has 155 million reasons to be the happiest guy in Chicago right now. He signed the biggest contract in franchise history this offseason, and the Cubs are hoping he can deliver. Certainly, the money is nice, but signing with the Cubs was about more than the money to Lester. 

Lester knows he can become the ace of a team almost ready to do something that hasn't been done in over a century. Potentially having a prominent place in sports history really appealed to Lester, it appears. Motivation to make history in Chicago will take Lester and the Cubs a long way in the next few years.

Loser: Travis Wood

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With the signing of Jon Lester, Travis Wood likely slides into the No. 5 starter role behind Lester, Jake Arrieta, Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks. While that doesn't affect him too much, it seems like the team would rather trade him than put him in the fifth starter spot.

If he likes playing in Chicago, this has been a bad offseason for Wood. In the near future, he could be moved, as the Cubs are now looking at a surplus of back-end starting pitching, and Wood seems to be the one with the most immediate trade value.

Winner: Bullpen

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Keeping the bullpen fresh throughout the season is a huge deal, and with the signings of Jon Lester and Jason Hammel, the bullpen should be much fresher in 2015.

Lester is a workhorse and has pitched in at least 191 innings every season since 2008. Hammel isn't quite the workhorse Lester is, but he's pitched at least 170 innings in four of his past six seasons.

Having two guys in the rotation who can eat up innings is huge. Beyond just eating innings, these guys can be effective for seven or eight innings on any given day. With more rest, the bullpen should be able to be even more effective than they were last season.

Loser: Welington Castillo

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Welington Castillo certainly appears to be on his way out of Chicago. It's highly unlikely the team is going to keep three catchers on the roster, and they added backstops Miguel Montero and David Ross this offseason. It appears the team wasn't impressed with the job Castillo has been doing these past few years and decided to go in a different direction.

Perhaps a change of scenery would do Castillo some good, but like Wood, if Castillo has enjoyed playing in Chicago, it doesn't look good for him. Expect the next trade the Cubs make to involve Castillo, as he's a player the team virtually has to move before the season.

Winner: Anthony Rizzo

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Anthony Rizzo actually hasn't benefited from any specific move this offseason, but he should be improved beyond what he was in the 2014 season. That is because super prospect Kris Bryant will be making his way to Wrigley Field by late April as long as he stays healthy, based on the fact the team is waiting for his potential 2015 service time to come under 172 days.

With Bryant in the lineup (possibly hitting in the three spot before long), Rizzo will have protection in the lineup he hasn't seen before. Pitchers are going to pitch around Bryant, especially in the early going while they're figuring him out. That means Rizzo will likely get more pitches to hit. That's good news for Rizzo and fans waiting on the streets for home run balls.

Traditionally, if a hitter is "protecting" another one, they're hitting behind them in the lineup. In this case, Bryant is protecting Rizzo because pitchers aren't going to want to pitch around both players. They can pick their poison, but they're going to have to pitch to one or the other every time through the lineup.

Loser: Jacob Turner

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Jacob Turner might be another guy who loses out because of the Cubs' newfound back-end pitching depth. With Travis Wood on the roster as of right now, it seems like Turner is the odd man out for the rotation. However, if Wood is dealt, Turner will be squarely back in the running for the fifth starter spot.

Getting this much pitching depth on the back end could end up being a good thing, as it may push Turner to be a better pitcher, but for right now, it's causing him to possibly be relegated to bullpen duty. If something happens with Wood, though, Turner could end up being a winner from this offseason.