Cubs will 'aggressively' pursue starting pitching in free agency

The Chicago Cubs have had yet another poor season, and as it comes closer to an end, the team is focusing on what it can do in the offseason to improve the roster. The Chicago Tribune reports reports that the team is going to be "aggressive" in free agency, most notably in regards to starting pitching. General manager Jed Hoyer:

"We have some money to spend and that's an area we're going to focus on heavily," he said, adding: "We certainly need to bolster our rotation."

How much money will the Cubs be spending in free agency? Hoyer said that it will be determined by the market, and that there is "no question" that they will be active. The team did well this season on the money side, despite ever-approaching that 100-loss mark, a "round number we clearly want to avoid," Hoyer says, noting that people will focus on it specifically.

Chicago is adamant that all of the money that Cubs fans invested this season will go back into making the team better in any possible. With players such as Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster off the books, the Cubs should be able to entice some starting pitching with a front-loaded contract, which is probably necessary to entice top talent to come to the situation that the Cubs are presently in.