Early Grades for Every Chicago Cubs Offseason Acquisitions

For the first time in a very long time, the Cubs were active in free agency and the trade market (from the buying end) this offseason. That meant a lot of roster turnover and a lot of questions going into this season.

Some of those questions have begun to be answered, while others remain unanswered. Whatever the case may be, here are grades through the first two-and-a-half weeks of the season for the team's seven key new additions for 2015.

All stats used are courtesy of Baseball-Reference.

LHP Phil Coke: C

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Coke was picked up by the Cubs in March and is just now trying to get into a groove on the mound. His first outing on Opening Night was stellar, but he's struggled since then.

Coke's 2015 Stats:

W	L	ERA	IP
0	0	5.79	4.2

He is the Cubs' lefty specialist out of the pen, so he really needs to start stepping up. Perhaps getting him more experience pitching full innings rather than simply matching up against only lefties will help him get back into a rhythm. 

C David Ross: C-

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Ross would have an even lower grade if the Cubs were expecting much out of him at the plate, but they really aren't. He is in Chicago to be the personal catcher for Jon Lester and to provide a veteran presence in the locker room. 

That being said, it would be nice if he could hit above the Mendoza line. If he doesn't turn it on at the plate soon, he will find himself only catching for Lester.

Ross' 2015 Stats:

BA	OBP	HR	RBI	R
.125	.417	0	1	0

As the stats show, Ross has been getting on base at a decent clip. When it comes down to it, he just hasn't gotten enough chances at the dish to really prove himself either way this season. 

RHP Jason Motte: D+

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Motte, like most of the middle of the bullpen this season, has struggled in the early going. He, like Coke, pitched well in his first appearance with the team and has really had a rough go of it since then.

It doesn't seem like he's missing too much in terms of stuff, so it seems like it's just coming down to his execution of pitches. He's shown the ability to pitch in high pressure situations, as he led the National League in saves in 2012, so he should be able to bounce back.

Motte's 2015 Stats:

W	L	ERA	IP
0	0	5.63	8.0

Despite the fact Motte is capable of turning it around, that doesn't mean he will. He needs to start stepping up to separate himself from other relievers like Justin Grimm and Neil Ramirez.

C Miguel Montero: C-

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Montero has been an extremely entertaining Twitter follow as he tweets some pretty strange, out-of-the-box stuff, but he hasn't been quite as entertaining at the plate in 2015. His lone two home runs came in the same game, and he hasn't put the bat on the ball consistently.

Unlike Ross, the Cubs really are expecting Montero to step up at the plate. Based on past seasons, they shouldn't expect him to hit the cover off the ball, but he should be batting around .250 while driving in runs in key spots.

Montero's 2015 Stats:

BA	OBP	HR	RBI	R
.182	.293	2	7	2

One thing that doesn't show up in the scoresheet is Montero's ability to call games and frame pitches behind the plate. He has been excellent at that, as expected, so now he just needs to turn things around at the plate.

RHP Jason Hammel: C

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press

Hammel returned to Chicago this offseason after a few months away, and he hasn't been quite as good as he was with the Cubs last season. He's leaving pitches up in the zone and getting burned for it. He's supposed to show off the Cubs' rotation depth, but instead, he has given the team a reason to worry.

With Lester also struggling at the top, the team could really use some other players stepping up. Hammel should be one of those guys, but he hasn't been so far.

Hammel's 2015 Stats: 

W	L	ERA	Ks
1	1	5.19	16

Like everyone so far, Hammel's stats come over a small sample size, so there's still time for him to turn it around. However, also like everyone else, he needs to start turning it around soon before the Cubs lose too much ground in the divisional race.

CF Dexter Fowler: B-

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Fowler gives the Cubs their first true leadoff hitter in a decade, and he's been decent so far. He came up huge in the season's first week, hitting a go-ahead three-run homer against the Rockies when the team was down to its last strike.

He has also clubbed a few triples this year. Fowler is working the count out of the leadoff spot, but he simply needs to get on base more often. After all, if the leadoff man doesn't get on base, he can't score runs.

BA	OBP	HR	RBI	R
.246	.328	1	4	10

With Jorge Soler, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant developing nicely in the middle of the order, Fowler needs to start getting on base. If he does, he's going to start scoring runs in bunches.

LHP Jon Lester: C

Tom Uhlman/Associated Press

The most exciting offseason addition for the Cubs was Jon Lester, but he has struggled so far. He wasn't horrible on Opening Night, but he has been since then. Going into his fourth start against the Reds on Friday night, he hadn't had a great start yet.

At the top, he needs to set the tempo for the rest of the rotation. Obviously, the Cubs are paying him $155 million over six years for a reason.

Lester's 2015 Stats:

W	L	ERA	Ks
0	2	6.89	14

Based on his pedigree, you have to believe Lester will at least bounce back to some degree, but his slow start is definitely concerning. In past years, he's started slow, so Cubs fans shouldn't be writing him off as a bust quite yet.